CLOUD
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NetApp launches new cloud services for managing data
On-premises storage suppliers are scrambling to address the growing amounts of data that their customers are moving to the cloud.
The latest big-name player to join the fray is NetApp Inc., which today introduced two new software as a service offerings aimed at easing the management of remote workloads. The first addition is the Cloud Sync Service, a tool for synchronizing information from on-premises arrays to Amazon Web Service’s S3 object storage service. It should help the company level the playing field against the numerous competitors that already provide similar remote bursting capabilities.
Of particular note are Dell Technologies Inc., which gained a cloud-connected array family through its acquisition of EMC Corp., and Microsoft Corp. with its Azure StorSimple systems. If the competition is anything to go by, customers will likely use NetApp’s new service mainly to create remote backups of their on-premises data. But it should also come handy for managing infrequently accessed data such as historical customer records that are often cheaper to store in S3 than behind the firewall.
Cloud Sync Service is joined by Cloud Control for Microsoft Office 365, which allows organizations to control how the files in their remote SharePoint, OneDrive and Exchange deployments are used. It also has a data protection feature that lets administrators back up documents to Microsoft’s Azure platform, AWS S3 or on-premises storage equipment. The launch announcement didn’t specify exactly what gear it’s refering to, but NetApp persumably has its own arrays in mind.
In the bigger picture, the two new services represent a major departure for the company that reflects just how important the public cloud has become to data center suppliers. This includes not only array makers but also hyperconverged infrastructure providers such as Nutanix Inc., which offers a connector for backing up data from its systems to AWS and Azure. VMware also joined the fray recently by launching a specialized edition of its virtualization software designed to run on leading infrastructure-as-a-service platforms.
Image via Pixabay
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