Which two software platforms are provided with an HCI cluster?

An HCI (Hyper-Converged Infrastructure) cluster primarily combines compute and storage resources into a single solution managed as a unified system. The correct answer, which highlights "Element," refers to the software that underpins the NetApp HCI platform. Element software is designed to manage all of the underlying storage resources in an HCI environment, providing capabilities for data management, scaling, and performance optimization across the cluster.

Element enables the seamless integration of storage and compute resources, allowing organizations to deploy and manage applications more efficiently while achieving high levels of performance, availability, and data protection. This makes it a fundamental component of an HCI cluster, as its functionalities are specifically tailored to support the unique requirements associated with hyper-converged systems.

On the other hand, while SANtricity is a storage management software specifically for traditional storage systems, and Cloud Volumes ONTAP is designed for cloud-based storage, they do not directly relate to the hyper-converged infrastructure context provided by Element. VMware ESXi, known as a hypervisor, primarily manages virtual machines but does not encompass the storage management capabilities needed for an HCI cluster — thus further emphasizing why Element is the accurate answer in this scenario.