NetApp has introduced new hybrid cloud offerings that give customers unprecedented ability to use data for competitive advantage. The announcements expand the company’s Data Fabric solutions and services portfolio to include the industry’s first enterprise-scale Hyper Converged Infrastructure solution (HCI), new consumption purchase models, improved all-flash capabilities and hybrid cloud offerings that simplify moving data to and from the public cloud.
With digital transformation at the top of their agendas, global business leaders need new ways to harness their most valuable asset — their data. Time, skill and budget gaps pose traditional challenges, but organisations must also contend with exploding volumes of data that are much more distributed, dynamic and diverse.
NetApp’s hybrid cloud innovations allow customers to break down barriers to transformation by helping them to unify data across the widest range of cloud and on-premises environments. When data is at the heart of transformation, organisations are empowered to create more customer touch points, foster greater innovation, and optimise operations.
“Organisations that understand how to derive the full value from their data will see their digital transformations drive greater competitive advantage in the shortest amount of time,” said Simon Robinson, Research Vice President, at 451 Research. “To succeed, customers need to change their mindsets on data management, to liberate themselves from data silos and seek approaches that unite data no matter where it resides. NetApp’s expanded portfolio, with its new HCI, hybrid cloud and consumption model solutions, provides the means to maximise the impact of data, no matter where it lives, and create new value across the organisation.”
“The organisations that are defining the future recognise that unleashing the full potential of their data is essential for effective digital transformation and long-term competitive advantage,” said George Kurian, NetApp’s Chief Executive Officer. “NetApp is uniquely capable of helping customers to unify their data to achieve success in the digital era. Today’s announcements of enterprise-scale HCI and new hybrid cloud software and services extend our Data Fabric architecture and leadership in providing hybrid cloud data services that simplify management of applications and data across clouds and on-premises environments.”
“Datalink helps clients ensure their application workloads are aligned to the right platform to optimise business value. We have long partnered with NetApp due to our shared vision of data management as the foundation of on-premises, hybrid and cloud platforms using NetApp’s Data Fabric,” said Chief Architect Jason Anderson, Datalink, an Insight company. “The SolidFire underpinning for NetApp HCI has proven itself in our lab testing and in numerous client deployments to have the stability, scale, performance and guaranteed quality of service needed for a truly enterprise-grade HCI platform. We are excited by NetApp’s entry into the HCI market and look forward to leveraging NetApp HCI as a catalyst to transform and optimise IT to achieve intended business outcomes.”
For more information, visit www.netapp.com/us/campaigns/why-hyperconverged-infrastructure/index.aspx
NetApp HCI is planned to be generally available in the fourth quarter of 2017. The company has provided early access to the innovations of NetApp HCI to a number of technology partners that are integrating with the solution.
Their perspectives include:
Commvault, Ralph Nimergood, Vice President, Alliances and Channels: “We are delighted to share the same vision as NetApp in supporting our customers as they transform and deliver hybrid IT services to their business and customers through the unveiling of the NetApp HCI. Integrating with NetApp HCI provides customers a clear path to accelerate deployment and realise the potential value stored in their most strategic asset — their data. We look forward to supporting NetApp HCI as it comes to market and through our Commvault Data Platform, giving customers peace of mind knowing their data is always protected, accessible and ready to use; anywhere, anytime; in the cloud or on-premises.”
Intel Corporation, Jennifer Huffstetler, Senior Director, Datacenter and Storage Products: “Intel and NetApp share a commitment to enterprise computing and a passion for helping customers identify and easily deploy the Intel Xeon processors and networking technologies that will best ensure customer success in the data-driven future. Our platform technology contributions to NetApp’s new enterprise-scale HCI will help give organisations a better way to guarantee quality of service. We expect NetApp HCI will create opportunities that customers never imagined, providing a path to scaleable hybrid cloud deployments in their IT datacentre transformation journey.”
MongoDB, Alan Chhabra, Vice President, Worldwide Partners: “MongoDB is a popular modern database used by innovators to build mission-critical applications and to power their giant ideas. NetApp HCI introduces the benefits of enterprise-scale hyper converged infrastructures and gives customers a new approach to consolidating traditional and next-generation apps. We are pleased to have MongoDB Enterprise be part of this new wave of innovation in data management.”
Veeam, Andy Vandeveld, Vice President, Global Alliances: “Users, whether at home, work or school, want a seamless digital experience and anything less is unacceptable. Enterprises are having to re-think their IT strategies and service models, and Availability is of paramount importance. We welcome the opportunity to further our relationship with NetApp on the introduction of NetApp HCI. Our Availability capabilities, teamed with this new class of enterprise-scale HCI, targets the growing need to mitigate risk, save time and dramatically reduce capital and operational costs, while always supporting customers’ current and future business goals.”
VMware, Mark Lohmeyer, Vice President, Products, Cloud Platform Business Unit: “For 15 years, VMware and NetApp have partnered on new capabilities to modernise the datacentre and make it easier for enterprises to unleash the true power of their infrastructure. NetApp’s new HCI solution builds on this strong partnership, which has served mutual customers well, from evangelising virtualisation to navigating the path to the software-defined datacentre and the hybrid cloud. The NetApp solution will include VMware vSphere, enabling mutual customers to continue to take advantage of our proven collaboration.”