Every company needs an intelligent data strategy. And whether you’re wondering what that is or how to create one, you’ve come to the right blog. As you embark on this journey, you’ll need a strategic partner that you can trust—someone who knows your goals and challenges and stands beside you while navigating to a customized approach suited to your business. To that end, I’m thrilled to announce the opening of our new, state-of- the-art Executive Briefing Center (EBC) at our NetApp headquarters in San Jose, California…not just because it is an incredible facility, but because EBCs are where partnership with our customers comes to life.

We create unique experiences in our EBCs where you can engage with NetApp executives and experts in sessions tailored to your needs. These briefings can accelerate your path toward an intelligent data strategy built for your company. We share, we listen, and we tackle your challenges together. No cookie-cutter approach here.

Let’s dive into what you can expect from an EBC experience and how we’ve helped real customers gain a competitive edge. Because in today’s market, how you use, leverage, and optimize your data is your key to success.

As a leader, your job is to make smart decisions that ensure your organization’s success. Easier said than done though, right? Rather than try and find answers alone, in our EBCs, we can connect you with NetApp’s top experts to help you get further faster. We’ve thoughtfully designed dynamic and immersive spaces at our San Jose headquarters and our other briefing centers across the globe built for these face-to-face sessions.

During an EBC briefing, we help transform your data into your most strategic asset. Here’s how:

• Explore your unique needs: First, we’ll discuss your challenges and desired outcomes, so the conversation aligns perfectly with what you want to achieve.
• Get dedicated access to technology experts: Spend valuable time with top NetApp strategists, subject matter experts, and partners who will share personalized insights to help you optimize your approach and avoid common pitfalls. All questions are welcome.
• Create a clear, actionable strategy: Work hand-in-hand with our experts to shape your data strategy. We’ll brainstorm solutions to create a fully customized plan.
• Move from ideas to action: At the end of the session, you’ll leave with a comprehensive strategy with clear next steps.

Enough of the marketing spiel. I want to share three real-world customer stories with you that highlight the tangible business value organizations just like yours gained from their experience at a NetApp EBC.

Customer challenge #1: Boosting security and cyber resilience

A large company that provides water technology across various sectors in over 150 countries faced an ongoing evolution of its service offerings, which expanded to include private and public cloud environments. However, the ever-present threat of cyberattacks raised concerns among company executives.

To address these, we customized an EBC agenda to focus on boosting cyber resilience and protecting against ransomware while ensuring seamless application deployment across public and private clouds. Our proposed strategy not only met their cybersecurity requirements but also offered a pathway to maintain smooth data center operations and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into their service offerings.

“This was the best, most productive executive briefing I have attended. The agenda was perfectly curated to our specific needs and the discussions were top notch!”

• Director of Operations & Global Cloud Infrastructure

Customer challenge #2: Developing a strategic, long-term unified data storage plan

A European automotive supplier specializing in HMIs, e-mobility solutions, and connectivity products found themselves up against multiple business challenges. Between a slowing e-mobility market, supply chain bottlenecks and the end of Garman electric car subsidies, they needed IT solutions that could get their rising costs under control and streamline operations, all with a lean IT team.

Acting as a trusted advisor, we curated an executive briefing that served as an incubator for comprehensive problem-solving. Together, we developed a plan to tackle their unique challenges using the NetApp ONTAP unified storage operating system, which resolved key data management issues while optimizing workflows.

“This briefing helped us understand valuable key points about the NetApp product portfolio and specific challenges we presented. We appreciate getting to know the NetApp team’s faces and receiving honest answers from the participants. We look forward to additional sessions at the EBC!”

• Head of IT Services ‑ Systems & Applications

Customer challenge #3: Streamlining workflows for greater efficiency

As a media and entertainment company expanded and diversified, it faced the challenge of managing business-critical workflows across three different vendor platforms. Over time, the task of overseeing and managing these diverse platforms grew increasingly complex.

To tackle these challenges, the company’s engineering teams and executives came in for an EBC and shared their current problems and desired future state with NetApp experts. Working together, the group designed a comprehensive, long-term plan to build a critical production cluster that would consolidate and streamline workflows companywide. By greatly simplifying their IT environment, they were able to work smarter not harder.

“The NetApp Executive Briefing Center creates an open forum for discussion between our engineering teams, their engineers, and key executives. NetApp clearly values the customer perspective by embracing collaboration as a driver for innovation. Over the years, we have had outstanding visits to NetApp's Executive Briefing Center, where providing feedback is welcome, effortless, and productive.”

• Manager of Data Infrastructure and Platforms

Hopefully we’ve convinced you of the value we can deliver! Join us at a NetApp EBC nearest you to engage in open, collaborative, strategic discussions, all tailored to your organization’s unique challenges.

• San Jose, California, USA
• Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Bengaluru, India

Together, we can build a data strategy that will enable your organization to innovate faster, better serve your customers, reduce risk, save time, and optimize your budget. Let’s make your data work for you.

Start building a smarter future in a NetApp EBC. Book your session today.