Highlights of Day 3 at NetApp INSIGHT 2024

Artificial intelligence took center stage at the NetApp INSIGHT^® 2024 conference, and nothing brings AI to life like a good customer story. The closing day’s keynote served as a powerful reminder about why AI is important for organizations around the world. From better cancer treatments to unprecedented innovation, AI is real—and it’s making a difference.  

Attendees saw a new-look NetApp that leaned heavily on an intelligent data infrastructure approach that begins and ends with data. Whether you attended in person or followed online, here’s a recap of the major highlights that made day 3 a fitting launching pad to a dynamic AI future. 

The day’s keynote, “Building Together for the Era of Intelligence,” focused on customer success. Speakers demonstrated how NetApp® solutions are driving business outcomes across diverse industries. Real-world examples highlighted the tangible benefits of adopting intelligent data infrastructure, from improved operational efficiency to enhanced data security. 

César Cernuda, president of NetApp, kicked things off with an energizing keynote, expressing his excitement about the future of intelligent data infrastructure. Cernuda emphasized NetApp’s commitment to customer success and how our innovations are designed to empower businesses around the globe. 

Cernuda recapped the key moments from the first 2 days. From George Kurian’s vision for data and intelligence to the compelling discussions with industry leaders like Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and AWS’ Matt Wood, these sessions underscored NetApp’s dedication to helping customers take advantage of AI and cloud innovations for maximum business impact.

Collaborating with NVIDIA 

Cernuda continued the partner theme by introducing NetApp AI Specialist, Hoseb Dermanilian, who’s been working closely with NVIDIA. NetApp and NVIDIA have been partnering for more than 5 years to create the world’s best data infrastructure for AI. 

By way of background, Dermanilian said there are several challenges facing companies as they try to get their data ready for AI, including data efficiency, access, and cloud integration. 

Dermanilian introduced NVIDIA VP of AI Solutions, Matt Hull, to further explain how the two companies have refined the AI process and why NetApp’s expertise with data is so critical. 

“NetApp shared our vision,” Hull said, adding that the AI process can be boiled down to a simple workflow. There’s a lot of data in the world that needs to get processed, and then made available for the AI algorithms. 

Hull said that because “50% of the world’s unstructured data lives in NetApp,” it makes sense to work together. Specifically, NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD will soon be certified so that enterprise customers can leverage NetApp’s on-premises and cloud connected capabilities to simplify and accelerate their data pipelines. Also, NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD will complete the AI model training and inferencing offerings with NVIDIA.

NetApp offers the NVIDIA DGX BasePOD for general purpose training workloads, and NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD for massive scale model training.

NVIDIA and NetApp are proving that the collaboration is powering next-generation AI applications and transforming data management. 

Healthcare innovations with IEO 

Cernuda returned and talked with Annarosa Farina, CIO of the European Institute of Oncology (IEO). In a particularly inspiring segment, Farina shared how AI and data infrastructure are revolutionizing healthcare, from early cancer detection to improved patient outcomes. Farina said, “AI is not a destination. It’s a journey.” She captured the real-world impact of NetApp's innovations in critical industries. 

Customer key points 

All three INSIGHT keynotes emphasized the role of intelligent data infrastructure in empowering customer success, highlighting collaborations with major tech players like Microsoft, AWS, Google, and NVIDIA to spur AI and data management advancements.

Data efficiency matters. Data access is critical. Hybrid cloud architectures are key. And technology partnerships are critical to success. 

Customers were reminded of the significance of robust data infrastructure for AI, the essential support for AI workloads, and the unparalleled value offered by NetApp and its partners in providing the ultimate AI ecosystem for propelling business success. 

Cernuda summarized the key takeaways from the event, emphasizing the importance of intelligent data infrastructure in the era of AI and data-driven decision-making. With the newly launched products and enhanced services, NetApp is well-positioned to help organizations harness the full potential of their data. 

The future of intelligent data infrastructure 

Cernuda stressed that the future belongs to businesses that can effectively manage and leverage their data. NetApp’s ongoing innovations in data management, AI, and cloud services are designed to provide organizations with the tools they need to thrive in this competitive landscape. 

Join the community 

NetApp’s commitment to creating a vibrant, engaged community was evident throughout the event. Through hands-on labs, certification opportunities, and networking sessions, NetApp INSIGHT 2024 was a hub of learning and collaboration. Cernuda encouraged attendees to stay connected and continue sharing their experiences and insights. 

Day 3 sessions catered to a wide range of interests and expertise levels. Here are two that stood out. 

Fully managed cloud storage economics: Customer journeys and insights 

The session showed how the fully managed Google Cloud NetApp Volumes service can enhance financial outcomes and drive success. Attendees learned from real-world customer journeys across platforms like Windows, Linux, VMware, SAP, Kubernetes, and AI workloads. The discussion highlighted the transformative impact of seamless integration and native services on storage strategies. NetApp expert Gunna Marripudi emphasized cost savings, noting a three-year ROI of 457% for those adopting NetApp Volumes.^{IDC, “The Business Value of NetApp Cloud Volumes for Google Cloud,” February 2023.}  For more details, visit Google Cloud NetApp Volumes.

Realize enterprise scale with Azure NetApp Files for Azure VMware Solution 

NetApp experts Niyaz Mohamed and Anthony Mashford explored how businesses can transition their on-premises VMware environments to Azure while maintaining performance, reliability, security, and critical data management. Attendees gained insights into deploying VMware workloads in the cloud efficiently, with discussions covering know-hows, total cost of ownership (TCO), sizing, data protection, migration, and disaster recovery strategies. Calculate your savings with the TCO estimator. For more details, visit Azure NetApp Files. 

One of the most anticipated aspects of Day 2 was the announcement of several new products and updates. Let’s take a closer look at the key launches that have everyone buzzing. 

NetApp ASA A-Series 

NetApp introduced its new all-flash ASA A-Series storage systems, optimized for block storage. These systems aim to simplify storage management while providing high-end capabilities at an affordable price. With features like AIOps integration and VMware compatibility, the ASA A-Series promises to revolutionize how organizations handle advanced block storage workloads. 

Enhancements to cloud services 

NetApp also announced significant updates to cloud services, including new features for Cloud Volumes ONTAP^® and Google Cloud NetApp Volumes. These enhancements are designed to improve data security, optimize performance, and offer cost-effective storage solutions for enterprises navigating hybrid multi-cloud environments. 

Improvements to Azure NetApp Files aim to lower cloud storage costs and increase data availability. Key features include automated storage tiering, reserved capacity pricing, cross-zone replication for enhanced data protection, and double encryption for security. These enhancements offer cost-effective, high-performance storage that’s suitable for enterprise workloads, supporting both large and small volume sizes. 

Advancements in cyber resiliency 

Another highlight was the introduction of NetApp ONTAP Autonomous Ransomware Protection with AI (ARP/AI), featuring 99% accuracy in detecting ransomware threats. This solution uses machine learning to identify and mitigate security risks, helping organizations quickly recover from cyberattacks. 

AI innovations and collaborations 

NetApp announced major advances in its AI infrastructure to drive business innovation with intelligent data solutions. Central to these developments is NetApp’s longstanding collaboration with NVIDIA, starting the certification of NetApp ONTAP storage on the AFF A90 platform with NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD, complementing the existing certification with NVIDIA DGX BasePOD. This enables advanced data management for AI projects, addressing challenges for large language models. 

NetApp introduced a global metadata namespace for secure, compliant data management across hybrid multi-cloud environments, facilitating advanced AI applications with effective data classification and retrieval augmented generation (RAG). 

NetApp also partnered with Domino Data Labs to enhance machine learning operations, improving the use of Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP with scalable performance. The AIPod with Lenovo for NVIDIA OVX is now available, supporting enterprises in leveraging generative AI for productivity and new revenue streams. 

NetApp provides a scalable, secure AI infrastructure with new FlexPod® AI capabilities, offering a simplified hybrid solution for AI applications. This aligns with NetApp’s vision of a unified data management ecosystem, empowering businesses to leverage AI for a competitive edge. 

Day 3 of NetApp INSIGHT 2024 was a testament to the power of innovation, collaboration, and community. The event not only showcased NetApp’s latest advancements but also inspired attendees to think big and leverage technology to drive meaningful change. 

Ready to explore more?  

• For details on recent announcements, visit product updates. 
• Catch up on key moments of Day 1.  
• See NetApp INSIGHT 2024 for on-demand videos and more on the sessions, speakers, and experiences.