Today we teamed up with storage firm NetApp and The Wikibon Project to host the #NetAppChat on the growing market of software-defined storage (SDS), and the value it brings to the enterprise space. NetApp is betting big on SDS. Architecture is evolving and the data center is moving and changing quickly too. How does software-defined storage help and what level of value does it bring to the enterprise space?

NetApp is known for latching onto the right trends and “[proving] naysayers wrong,” according to Wikibon co-founder and chief analyst Dave Vellante. SDS is the bet NetApp has placed, and in many respects NetApp is well positioned in software-defined because:

1. Its architecture is highly virtualized
2. It offers rich sets of services in a single platform (e.g. Snaps, Clones, compression, de-duplication, etc.)
3. It has a means of addressing non-NetApp storage (e.g. V-Series and OnCommand).

Clustering is the way : ONTAP

But the sand is running out of NetApp’s hour glass. Flash-only arrays are rolling in fast from other industry vendors, encroaching into the high-end space that NetApp covets. How does NetApp find its way to the winner’s circle for SDS? It must demonstrate that Clustered ONTAP and OnCommand are capable of delivering across a wide performance spectrum while maintaining reliability and demonstrating best-in-class automation.

Earlier today SiliconANGLE + NetApp’s #NetAppChat tweetchat posed this question to the community:

How does software-defined storage help and what level of value does it bring to the enterprise space?

It was an opportunity to discuss the definition of software-defined storage (SDS), how it fits into the software-defined data center (SDDC), whether the evolution of storage is upon us, and what customers have to say about SDS/SDDC.

If you missed the tweet chat, here’s the full recap of the #NetAppChat event.