Cloud storage data management innovations

Industry analyst IDC has published a research opinion paper on the cloud storage announcements that NetApp made during the NetApp INSIGHT^® 2024 partner and customer conference. The paper highlights enhancements to NetApp's cloud storage solutions, emphasizing cost efficiency, cybersecurity, and AI readiness in partnership with major cloud providers.

Summary of NetApp INSIGHT cloud storage announcements

• Azure NetApp Files, an enterprise-class, high-performance file storage service native to Azure, announced the general availability of cool access for volumes in Premium, Ultra, and Standard service-level capacity pools. Cool access reduces storage costs by seamlessly moving infrequently accessed data to a more economical storage tier. 
• Google Cloud NetApp Volumes, a fully managed file storage service in Google Cloud that offers high-performance, enterprise-grade storage, announced Google Cloud NetApp Volumes Flex service level. This service level delivers enhanced price/performance for a broader array of workloads, such as those involving Kubernetes, across all 40 Google Cloud regions. The service has also expanded to support large-capacity volumes, offering up to 1PiB of storage and up to 12.5GiB/s of throughput in a single volume. 
• The cybersecurity features of NetApp® Cloud Volumes ONTAP® are enhanced by integrating Autonomous Ransomware Protection, SnapCenter® licensed capability, and write once, read many (WORM) storage into its licenses at no additional cost. This integration streamlines security management and reduces the time and financial impact on customers. 
• Support was announced for Google Cloud Vertex AI and BigQuery, enabling these services to use data stored in Google Cloud NetApp Volumes. Additionally, NetApp BlueXP™ workload factory supports Amazon Bedrock foundation models.  

IDC's perspective on NetApp's cloud storage solutions

“IDC recognizes NetApp as the only storage vendor that has co-engineered native, first-party services with the major public cloud providers. This provides NetApp a unique advantage over competitive solutions that must be purchased through a cloud provider marketplace.”  

“Native cloud storage services like Azure NetApp Files, Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP, and Google Cloud NetApp Volumes offer deeper integration with other aspects of the cloud provider platform and are purchased and supported directly from the cloud provider.” 

To learn more about IDC’s point of view, read the commentary. 

Notes:

IDC Link, NetApp Enhances Cloud Data Management with AI-Ready Solutions, Cost Efficiency, and Advanced Security. Doc #lcUS52625724, September 2024.