NetApp Adds Usage-Based Option to Keystone Hybrid Cloud Program

A year after launching NetApp Keystone, a hybrid cloud storage subscription service, it is now available on a consumption basis.

NetApp added the “pay-as-you-go” option to Keystone and other hybrid cloud offerings at last week’s virtual NetApp Insight conference. The company also launched NetApp Cloud Manager, a platform that lets partners manage multicloud, hybrid storage and data services. NetApp Cloud Manager manages storage across storage on-premises and across AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform.

Described as a native cloud interface for data sync, backup, tiering file caching and compliance, it’s a free SaaS-based tool. In his NetApp Insight keynote, CEO George Kurian said the latest tools fill out NetApp’s Data Fabric vision.

NetApp’s George Kurian

“We enable you to embrace the best of both public and private clouds so that you can deploy and scale your digital businesses initiatives,” Kurian said. “We help you consolidate, modernize, simplify and automate your data center infrastructure with an easy path to cloud to enable you to make data as a service available to your stakeholders.”

Last year’s launch of the NetApp Keystone program introduced a new way for customers to procure the company’s on-premises storage. NetApp Keystone lets customers subscribe to the gear without taking title or leasing it. Likewise, partners can use Keystone to offer their own managed services or to resell the equipment. Available with the enhanced NetApp Keystone is the new FlexPod portfolio, updated in June in partnership with Cisco.

NetApp’s Chris Lamborn

“It’s a true, usage-based option,” NetApp global channel chief Chris Lamborn told Channel Futures. “And as they grow, we can bolt layers on, and if they need to go down, we bolt layers off.”

World Wide Technology, a partner that offers integration and consulting services, is among those whose customers have embraced NetApp Keystone.

“Everybody’s looking for everything as a service,” said Brent Collins, senior director of WWT’s data center practice. “It started a couple of years ago, but it’s picked up during the past six to 12 months.”

NetApp SolidFire Enterprise SDS

Also at NetApp Insight, the company launched its new SolidFire software-defined storage (SDS). NetApp said SolidFire SDS allows partners to deploy its software-defined storage software on industry-standard hardware. Lamborn said SolidFire SDS with the NetApp Element private cloud OS will provide a more flexible way of offering it as a software-only solution.

“Element and SolidFire have been ultra-strong in the service provider space, and enabling them to start to use those benefits around private cloud, which is obviously a lot of what service providers are doing in their own hardware environment,” Lamborn said. “It’s an easy step for our customers and our partners to get the benefits of this NetApp software environment.”

The company also released an update to its NetApp ONTAP data management software. NetApp said it has added cloud integration capabilities, continuously data availability and improved data protection features. The new NetApp ONTAP 9.8 offers added encryption, cloud tiering and allows AWS S3 backups. The latter feature supports replication of NetApp Snapshot copies to object storage, both on-premises and to AWS S3 with NetApp’s SmartMirror Cloud replication software.