NetApp Focuses on Unified Hybrid Cloud Experience with Latest Updates

NetApp on Tuesday rolled out a new release of its ONTAP software among a range of hybrid cloud portfolio updates.

NetApp says enterprises need to modernize their IT environments to enable hybrid cloud operations. As such, NetApp is updating its portfolio to support them.

FlexPod

New capabilities to the NetApp and Cisco infrastructure platform include intelligent application placement across on-premises and cloud. It is also offering automated hybrid cloud data workflows, and the ability to consume FlexPod as a managed, cloud-like service.

NetApp StorageGRID

The 11.5 release of NetApp’s scalable object store now supports data encryption using external key management. It also offers compliance and ransomware protection with S3 object locks and delivers increased performance with intelligent load balancing.

Hybrid Cloud Management

The vendor says managing data and applications in hybrid cloud environments can be extremely challenging. Subsequently, enterprises need “a simple, standardized approach.”

NetApp Cloud Manager and enhanced multicloud management services automate ONTAP data services to simplify application migration, disaster recovery, data protection, governance and compliance. In addition, NetApp Astra, an application-aware data service for Kubernetes, enables customers to manage, protect, and migrate stateful applications in Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure — and now on-premises.

‘Financial and Operational Elasticity’

Elsewhere, NetApp says organizations want the same financial and operational elasticity they get from the cloud in their data center. They also want the freedom to move and manage workloads easily and securely across hybrid and public cloud environments.

The new NetApp Keystone Flex Subscription at Equinix gives customers the ability to deploy Keystone data services in Equinix International Business Exchange (IBX). This provides low-latency access to multiple clouds without having to move their data to the cloud.

Equinix’s Royce Thomas

The Keystone Flex Subscription at Equinix is delivered as a single subscription by NetApp.

Royce Thomas, SVP, strategic alliances and global account management at Equinix, says it provides an on-demand storage alternative to traditional capex infrastructure investments.

“Global businesses can host their data adjacent to the cloud and utilize Equinix Fabric to connect to service providers,” he said. This way, customers can take advantage of “centralized hybrid cloud data management across all major public clouds.”

NetApp’s Kim Stevenson

Kim Stevenson is SVP and GM, foundational data services business unit at NetApp. She maintains that a hybrid cloud strategy is critical to keeping pace with the growth and complexity of distributed data and applications. It also enables firms to “thrive in the face of uncertainty and compete effectively in the digital economy,” she said.