NetApp Revolutionizes Block Storage to Meet Demands of Modern Workloads

• 12 Feb 2025
• TM Team
• 0 Comments

NetApp, the intelligent data infrastructure company, announced updates to its enterprise storage portfolio, expanding the NetApp ASA A-Series with new systems designed to accelerate and consolidate block workloads for organizations of any size. Alongside the announcement of new cyber resiliency capabilities, these systems enable customers to create a silo-free data infrastructure that both runs on and is built for intelligence.

Organizations have to reimagine their data strategy to access the data flexibility and confidence they need to successfully modernize their IT operations to drive efficient innovation. Today, NetApp launched three new enterprise storage systems that give customers even more options for simple, powerful, and affordable storage that is part of an intelligent data infrastructure framework capable of meeting workload-specific requirements now and for years to come.

The new high-performance NetApp ASA A20, A30, and A50 systems make block storage available to companies of every size for mission-critical apps like databases and virtual machines. They are ideal for smaller deployments including remote or branch offices with a starting price as low as $25K. The NetApp ASA systems deliver:

• Simplicity: Customers can use the NetApp ASA systems to modernize their operations with effortless storage which they can deploy in minutes, provision in seconds, and protect with one click. Common management workflows across the entire storage environment, including NAS and SAN, enable customers to enjoy simplicity at a scale that can grow into the future.
• Power: Customers can operate faster and more agilely with a storage architecture that delivers consistent performance and the flexibility to start small and scale to PBs of capacity. Built-in business continuity, a 99.9999% data availability guarantee, and a ransomware recovery guarantee help reduce operational risks for customers so they can operate worry-free.
• Affordability: Customers benefit not only from upfront costs 30-50 percent lower than competitive systems but also from a better return on investment driven by up to 97 percent lower power consumption and low operational overhead when modernizing to all-flash ASA.

"In less than a year, NetApp has refreshed our entire unified, block-optimized, and object portfolio and highlighted our commitment to relentless innovation," said Sandeep Singh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Storage at NetApp. "With the industry's most comprehensive storage lineup with built-in cyber resiliency, we offer systems that are faster, simpler, more scalable, and more affordable than the competition—tailored to any workload or budget. NetApp enables customers to rise to the challenges and opportunities of modern data management with an intelligent data infrastructure that optimizes operations, reduces risks, and accelerates AI transformation."

These new ASA systems will also be available in a FlexPod converged infrastructure, delivering additional benefits of simplified data center operations and accelerated deployment of enterprise applications through pre-tested and validated architectures.

"NetApp's portfolio of block-optimized, all-flash platforms ensures that our customers can address a wide range of needs," said Dhruv Dhumatkar, CTO, Asia Pacific & Japan, NetApp. "From business-critical systems to AI workloads, NetApp sets the industry standard for performance, scale and reliability."

NetApp is continuing to enhance the built-in cyber resiliency capabilities of its enterprise storage portfolio. Later this year, NetApp will release NetApp ONTAP^® Autonomous Ransomware Protection with artificial intelligence (ARP/AI) for Block. This update will build on the existing capabilities of ARP/AI, the first real-time threat detection and response for NAS systems, expanding its cyber resiliency protections to SAN customers.

To further reduce the operational risks for businesses, NetApp is launching the Ransomware Detection Program. In the event that certain ransomware attacks are not detected, this program assists with recovery using NetApp Professional Services free of initial charge.

"As the preferred data infrastructure provider for Aruba, NetApp is enhancing our IT offerings with an intelligent data infrastructure that helps us optimize data center solutions and deliver joint innovation across Europe," said Fabrizio Garrone, Enterprise Solution Director, Aruba S.p.A. "As we scale operations to meet the growing demand for cloud services, maintaining scalability and flexibility is critical. NetApp ONTAP stands out for its exceptional usability, simplicity, and uniformity, allowing us to devote technical resources to customer service instead of training or tedious operations."

"SAN modernization is a huge opportunity as the data needs of growing businesses expand with their operations," said Scott Sinclair, Practice Director, Cloud, Infrastructure and DevOps, Enterprise Strategy Group. "Companies need a comprehensive data strategy that will carry them into the future. At the same time, a shortage of IT skills and tight budget constraints means that many small businesses don't have storage specialists available to develop an intelligent data strategy. The new ASA A-Series provides a simple, powerful, and affordable foundation to carry them into the future."