NetApp has announced plans to expand its strategic alliance with Microsoft to help enterprises accelerate digital transformation for hybrid cloud.
Customers are evolving their data centres to integrate hybrid cloud delivery models for greater agility. These integrations, however, can create new compatibility issues, particularly with existing applications that depend on file services.
NetApp said it intends to expand its collaboration with Microsoft to include hybrid cloud data services, built on its proven ONTAP software, that will deliver enterprise-grade data visibility and insights, data access and control, and data protection and security for customers moving to Microsoft Azure.
The firms expect the collaboration to deliver a solution architecture that will speed the migration of enterprise applications to Azure and Azure Stack so that customers can unlock greater value from their data. It also plans to integrate NetApp’s newly launched FabricPool functionality, which reduces the cost of cold data by automatically tiering it from on-premises to cloud, with Azure Blob Storage. The extended partnership aim to enable Azure as a backup destination for NetApp’s Cloud Control SaaS offering, which provides backup, archive and compliance services to enhance Microsoft Office 365 environments.
“Enterprises depend on Microsoft’s cloud innovation and its broad portfolio of Azure cloud-integrated services to keep them competitive in the fast-moving digital age,” said Anthony Lye, senior vice president, Cloud Business Unit, NetApp. “This new development in our strategic alliance will extend the reach of NetApp’s world-class data services for Azure cloud and support customers as they modernise their businesses and pursue new opportunities for growth.”
Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, Cloud and Enterprise Group, Microsoft, added, “NetApp is a strategic hybrid cloud data services partner for Microsoft Azure and a company whose data solutions are used every day by enterprise customers around the world. Working together we will deliver new solutions that give customers using NetApp and Microsoft Azure even more freedom to build and deploy applications, however they want.”
The companies intend to provide additional updates on their hybrid cloud initiatives in the fall at Microsoft Ignite.
