Can Metric Insights be deployed in an alternative format to an appliance so we can install it on top of a Linux OS and have the underlying OS administered separately?

Yes, you can install Metric Insights in a Linux OS provisioned by your internal system team. We support Debian, CentOS, and Redhat (see links below). You would then use our install package to install MI. An OVA is provided when a Linux OS cannot be provisioned by your systems team or a request is made to stand up MI quickly.

http://help.metricinsights.com/m/Deployment_and_Configuration/l/554106-install-or-update-mi-via-installation-packages

http://help.metricinsights.com/m/Deployment_and_Configuration/l/608858-operating-system-requirements-dependencies