NetApp All Flash FAS EX HA with Expanded I/O - NAS Server
Mfg # AFF8080AE-001-R6
CDW # 3762770
Know your gear
NetApp All Flash FAS AFF8080 EX HA with Expanded I/O - NAS server - rack-mountable - RAID 4, 6, DP - RAM 256 GB - 10 Gigabit Ethernet / 16Gb Fiber Channel / FCoE - iSCSI - 12U
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NetApp All Flash FAS EX HA with Expanded I/O - NAS Server is rated
4.70 out of
5 by
77.
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Vladan Djurdjevic from
A powerful and flexible solution with good documentation and support
What is our primary use case?
The most common use case of NetApp AFF is as block storage and file-level storage.
How has it helped my organization?
From my standpoint, NetApp AFF is the most powerful enterprise solution. I find it to be highly flexible, allowing me to do whatever I want.
It is pretty flexible. Additionally, ONTAP is a very powerful operating system, and there are many use cases related to data protection, integration with the cloud, and monitoring solutions. NetApp has great documentation, and as a NetApp partner, I also have access to the NetApp Partner Portal and their learning center, where I can learn a lot. Partner Portal is a big plus.
What is most valuable?
They have great support. They have great documentation. They have learning sources. They have everything. You can even download the ONTAP simulator and deploy it on your virtualization platform and test almost all features.
SnapMirror is one of the best replication mechanisms in the world, and it is very well described. NetApp has good integration with other vendors such as Veeam, Commvault, and other backup solutions.
What needs improvement?
I do not like the NetApp GUI. For example, the GUI of ONTAP Command Manager could be better, but the CLI is perfect. With every new version and upgrade, they change things, which makes it messy, and I am not good at working with that. Even for monitoring, I use other tools. I am totally command-line oriented.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used NetApp AFF for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have not encountered any stability or performance issues.
How are customer service and support?
I am satisfied with their customer service. I have had no problem.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have worked with Dell solutions. It is pretty simplified for end users, but it does not offer as much flexibility as NetApp. You do not know what is happening in the background. They have simplified their GUI, and it is easy to use. However, when you want to try something from the command line, it is not so comfortable. You have to read the documentation. The ONTAP command line interface is quite extensive.
Dell's support is so expensive. We have a NetApp partner portal tool, which is called the TCO estimator. When we compare these two, Dell's support is expensive. It is good, but it is expensive. The support of both NetApp and Dell is good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I do not deal with pricing, but the pricing of NetApp and Dell seems pretty close.
NetApp support is cheaper than Dell support.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate NetApp AFF a ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:partner
Date published: 2025-02-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560533 from
Snapshot technology is hugely beneficial for backing up our data
What is our primary use case?
As a pharmaceutical company, our data is very sensitive. It's critical to recover in the event of any incident. NetApp played a major role in our backup and recovery services.
How has it helped my organization?
The RPOs and RTOs are excellent. When we had a ransomware attack, NetApp helped us recover. NetApp has streamlined operations by providing faster operating responses and making data more accessible to users. The equipment they offer helped increase our performance.
I administer the solution, so I'm not involved with the design and decision-making, so I can't speak about our future planning. However, most of our files are on NetApp, which we have 50 sites using. I don't know about AI or other emerging technologies we may adopt. We haven't used AI, but the company is looking at that and security-related features, like AI-based ransomware technologies. ONTAP is on the roadmap.
We plan to expand. All our storage is on-prem, but we plan to shift to the cloud, depending on the application requirements. Our roadmap includes migrating to the cloud and implementing AI.
What is most valuable?
NetApp's backup and recovery are the primary features we use. We also appreciate data protection. NetApp's technology and hardware support all our requirements. Snapshot technology is hugely beneficial for backing up our data.
Our environment is NAS-based. I don't have much exposure to NetApp on the block storage side. At the file level, the protocols they support are easy to use. This improves resiliency and helps us run the environment.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Our block storage is primarily Dell EMC, and we use NetApp for our AFF at the file level. We've heard many things about NetApp's block solutions, so it may be an excellent opportunity to look at NetApp from the block side of things and migrate. Dell EMC is relatively expensive, whereas NetApp is more cost-effective. I would like to explore all the new technologies and move our block storage to NetApp.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did many POCs with companies like IBM, EMC, and NetApp and how they handled the file-sharing structures. NetApp came out on top for how it handled the files. It also beats the competitors in cost-effectiveness, which is the first thing a company looks at.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Aaron Francis from
The nodes are rock-solid so there is less downtime and maintenance
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp is highly flexible. We can do things on the fly. Because the nodes are rock-solid, there is less downtime and maintenance. We don't have any downtime due to NetApp storage.
Our internal operations are rather static. We're a healthcare company, so we have the same product line. We don't have to fluctuate too much due to market pressure. The integration with VMware has streamlined the IT operations, where we can use vCenter to do half our BlueXP work.
One of the biggest challenges we had recently was SnapMirror. SnapMirror is rather old, but that shows how good it is. It hasn't been reinvented in so long. We're on-prem right now. I think hybrid integration with BlueXp to manage both storage types will greatly benefit us. We're not heavily involved in AI, but I am so happy that NetApp is with ARP and Cloud Insights.
We plan to expand our NetApp usage to include more AI and ransomware protections. I want to strengthen our security posture with MFA and multi-admin approvals. We want to get off VMware and go right to Kubernetes.
Our future investment will focus on cybersecurity. We've had partners who were attacked, infected, and went down. I won't give names. We weren't affected, but we were indirectly affected. We had to change how we communicated with them. It's coming from the top down that we all need to focus more on cybersecurity.
Unfortunately, cybersecurity throws a wrench into innovation. We only have so much money, tools, and people, but it's what you have to do. You can't just say that we're not going to do it, and we're going to develop a new product line.
What is most valuable?
We're not fully utilizing NetApp's Converge BlueXP, but it's a great help. It integrates on-prem and cold storage and provides disaster recovery. We'll see more benefits as it improves.
We implemented SQL Snap Center, which we provide to our customers for free. It provides hourly point-in-time recovery, which they weren't expecting, and we already had the license. They got it for free.
What needs improvement?
NetApp's price could be improved. All storage is expensive. NetApp is not cheap, but we can't return to anybody else now. We'd lose too much value. We'd be, reinventing ourselves.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have used NetApp for 10 years.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We came from HPE and considered Dell EMC, but we're not in block storage anymore. We want the flexibility of NAS, and it wasn't hard to decide on NetApp.
It's come a long way, and we can train new employees that have never touched NetApp. They can get going in a week and start being administrators quickly using all the GUI tools.
We've had instances before where we were on block storage with VMware. And if it fills up or anything happens, you have downtime. NetApp now gives us more alerts, so we expand it on the fly. It will auto-expand on the fly. So I think that's definitely a big outcome.
I only made the decision at the technology level about whether it would fit into our stack and provide for our needs. I never got involved in the cost, so I don't know if cost was a deciding factor. When we adopted it 10 years ago, NetApp was a different storage creature than everybody else. It was an easier decision. If we wanted to stay with block storage, we could go with anybody else, and they were almost identical at the time.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560926 from
The technology helps us achieve high performance and a high-availability system
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp's MetroClusters are a critical technology that helps us achieve high performance and a high-availability system. It has a huge impact on our customers and our company. NetApp systems are always on.
It's a smooth system. Governance, compliance, and high availability are critical. FabricPool reduces the cost of taking so many snapshots, which are expensive to store. We can store them on the flash, storage grid, or FabricPool. It has brought our costs down by 30 percent.
We are thinking about expanding to other NetApp systems. We currently only use NetApp for Sys, NFS, and then S Query. We will maybe use AFF. We need to upgrade our network to address latency issues. Our future technological investments will prioritize data storage and optimization.
What is most valuable?
MetroCluster is the best product on the market. It synchronizes the storage. NetApp's update packages are a huge advantage because the firmware and server updates are in one package.
StorageKit is a critical technology introduced in the last four years. We use NetApp's all-flash storage, but we still use disk storage for some systems. NetApp's AFF systems really work. We bring them to the customer and let them try them. NetApp is excellent.
What needs improvement?
We have several problems with the limitations of NetApp systems in terms of volume shares. We have a brick in a 700 or a controller, and we sometimes make small volumes, but Kubernetes container volumes don't allow us.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have worked with NetApp for nine or 10 years.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp solutions eight out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560953 from
Standardized storage, good speeds, and very good backups
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp has impacted us pretty dramatically. Before, we didn't have standardized storage, so adopting the solution across our organization has allowed us the ability to provide data across all our sites and dramatically improve our backup and disaster.
What is most valuable?
We've recently adopted their Snapshot technology. Before, we didn't have any form of that. Having Snapshot, SnapMirror, and SnapLock really feels like we've added security to an organization and we really appreciate that.
The storage speeds have improved. We work with a lot of high-resolution imagery. Having this product has been a huge improvement. Our backups and disaster recovery plan have improved drastically.
What needs improvement?
We'd like to see them implement more subscription services into the base support model. It would make it cheaper for us.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We're definitely going to jump more into the data replication. Recently, we learned about the caching functionality that the solution has built-in. We may look into doing that to reduce our product footprint at our remote sites, bring all that data centralized, and allow us to have more security and management.
How are customer service and support?
We've only had to contact support once before we're on top of it. They treated us like we were a top priority.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously were reliant on on-site backups at all of our data centers with some cloud adoption. Recently, we've started replicating data across sites to ensure that we have high availability and quick recovery times.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked at Dell, Pure Storage and considered vSAN.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
The evolving cybersecurity landscape and proliferation of AI have influenced our technology decisions. We've implemented the Snapshotting, and our next step is to implement the ransomware discovery AI tech that is built in. We're going to implement that as soon as possible.
We're going to avoid the AI space for now, except for ransomware detection. We'll be prioritizing security, and any time the product introduces a new technology, we'll likely jump in.
Overall, the product has provided us with some amazing tools that we haven't had before. We're so new to the family that we just appreciate the product so far.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560401 from
Offers the best value in terms of storage and compatibility
What is our primary use case?
Our whole storage environment is based on NetApp. We provide an enterprise network that offers storage for various entities that require on-demand storage, including databases, web pages, and other large-scale storage requirements. We are also getting into AI-generated content, which requires even more storage space.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp provides an opportunity to scale out if necessary. Because NetApp has so many different systems and products, we can provide as much storage as needed. We could implement it anywhere because it always has backward compatibility.
The organization I work for adopts Zero Trust and prefers NetApp for that. It's embedded in pretty much everything we do. We also use other competitors, like Dell, but in terms of storage, nothing is as good as NetApp. We're getting into the AI realm because the organization I work for understands that it's coming fast. We're talking to them about storage possibilities for AI-related resources that will soon be needed.
What is most valuable?
NetApp offers the best value in terms of storage and compatibility. The solution is compatible with every product we use, including Dell and Cisco. NetApp is at the forefront of innovation. They've been doing this for a long time, and they provide excellent support to their partners.
We once lost some virtual machines and we could restore the virtual machines quickly from our NetApp backup.
What needs improvement?
We don't have any challenges with NetApp. We only need to update it on emerging software and versions that are put out or any enhancements that they've included or things that they've deprecated. NetApp's product is superior, so our engineers must stay on top of all the features and things that they've taken away.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've used Dell EqualLogic and VMware vSAN storage. Dell EqualLogic servers may not work with other server types, whereas NetApp is compatible with everyone. We've already spoken with our NetApp sales reps, and they're in the process of getting us quotes on the new AI-focused systems. Our organization must scale fast and avoid a bottleneck where we can't scale as needed on demand.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp solutions 10 out of 10. We are using maybe 50 percent of NetApp's capability. There's so much more that we don't touch on. Coming to these events, you learn about the new and upcoming software they've been working on.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560404 from
Ensures everything is secure, in a single location, and easy to maneuver and manipulate when needed
What is our primary use case?
We're using NetApp to make sure everything is secure, in a single location, and easy to maneuver and manipulate when the time comes for it.
How has it helped my organization?
The storage solutions that we use allow us a lot more peace of mind.
What is most valuable?
We've had situations where our HVAC unit became unreliable, and we've had a number of occasions where we've had to shut down our services in order to preserve what data we did have. This solution has allowed us to maintain our data securely and safely, and we don't have to worry about it. We simply brought the service back up, and then all of our data was still there and intact. Our customers appreciated that.
The solution helped streamline our internal operations. It's pretty much allowed us to focus on larger tasks on hand versus constantly wondering how our storage is going to be. For example, we never worry: "Are we going to run out of it?" or "Are there any configurations that we have to consistently change?" Being able to focus on much larger tasks on hand and not have to consistently worry about our storage solutions has been a big plus. It's also allowed us to streamline things and put our focus where we really need to put it.
What needs improvement?
In terms of improvement, they could help with knowledge transfer. I'm working on sitting down and getting familiar with the different storage solutions and technologies that are already available and just need to keep myself abreast of what's coming up.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
One of our chief priorities is expanding our storage to the cloud. That's one of the biggest aspects that the client is working towards—putting a lot in the cloud instead of having an on-prem setup. It will be more agile, if you will, and allow our customers to effectively do their jobs with little to no interruption.
How are customer service and support?
We haven't had any real challenges with it. Everything's been pretty smooth and straightforward. Of course, if we've had any issues, we can easily get on the phone with our reps, and they'll give us an answer nearly the same day or within 24 hours of us asking. They're really responsive. We've had very few issues, if at all.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
When I came on board with my company, we were all already pretty waist-deep with this particular product. This solution is the only one we've used before, and we'll probably continue to use it in the foreseeable future.
What other advice do I have?
Future investments will be prioritized around AI. AI is one of the big aspects that we're working on. That, of course, eats up a lot of storage and, of course, working on shifting to the cloud instead of just on-prem. That's one of the aspects that we're chiefly working towards and making headway on. So it's a matter of just getting to the finish line.
Our priority for our client is to be able to provide that service quickly, effectively, and on budget. Having our customers able to go forth and do whatever they need to do with little to no interruption or hiccups along the way is important.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. I haven't really gotten too deep into it. I've gotten deep enough to know that I trust this trust this material. I'm pretty sure if I've had a lot more experience, it'll be a ten, sure enough. It is definitely a very solid system. I would recommend NetApp to anyone.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ruud Does from
We can customize storage for specific business cases like VMware, user data, and SAP HANA
What is our primary use case?
I am a storage engineer at a government ministry. We enable our customers to use storage on-site because we are a government entity and don't use a public cloud. We enable almost all features available within the NetApp portfolio.
How has it helped my organization?
Governments are quite slow when it comes to business. I'm always trying to bring the storage side up to speed with current technology and hoping the rest of the organization follows. They're doing that but at the speed of a government.
It's heading there, but when I got here five years ago, they had no plan for the storage infrastructure. I first needed to get everything on a level playing field to have storage for specific business cases like VMware, user data, and SAP HANA. I had to set everything up correctly. Now, I'm trying to step it up a notch to get to 2024.
Our data includes every Dutch person's social security numbers, so we cannot have that on a public cloud. Our biggest challenge is to rebuild the public cloud privately.
When I arrived, we were far behind anything that works on the market, so I first needed to get the basics in order. I am busy setting up ransomware detection and application policy rules. Once I complete that, the next step is to get AI within the data center.
I hope other teams from our environments, like the Linux and Yammer teams, will join. We already have a storage grid so we can use S3. That's not a problem. We use all those things. The only thing we need to do is build it ourselves.
What is most valuable?
NetApp's most valuable features are ONTAP, FabricPool, and media storage.
What needs improvement?
I would like NetApp to be more aware of organizations that don't run it on a public cloud. Everything is built on the cloud, so if you want to run BlueXP in an environment like ours, it's a real pain because it wants to host too much info on the cloud.
It causes some friction with the security guys. BlueXP is also there in complete dark side mode, but it's a significant hassle to install and create. You don't get all the features. You're trying to get the same out of it because you have your own data center, and you can't go out due to government regulations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been an admin working in the NetApp environment for a long time. I used NetApp with different companies before but have worked at the ministry for five years.
How are customer service and support?
I've used their support multiple times. One aspect that stands out about NetApp support is that the system is yours. You have it in your data center, so it's your system. You can press any button that's in there. Nobody will say you can't do it. Support will say that it was foolish to press that button but won't stop you.
A lot of other storage vendors don't allow that. They have the interface they want you to be in. They say no if you need to do something under the hood because there is a problem. You have to go through support for that. But what if we have multiple issues? We don't need to go to support to make changes. I can run ConfigAdvisor, and support says it's okay.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
NetApp was deployed when I joined this organization. They asked me to help because I was already involved with NetApp. I'm constantly checking if someone has a better solution than NetApp, and the answer is "no" in most cases. Especially with old-fashioned NAS environments, I haven't seen a competitor that does a better job or costs less.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp nine out of 10. I give it a high rating because of the support. Nothing is ever perfect. For example, ONTAP is a software solution with millions and millions of lines of code. Something can always go wrong with it. Bugs happen, but I like that you have a very good support organization behind it. I've found bugs that were so incredibly large that NetApp couldn't roll out systems to other customers for 48 hours until they solved the bug.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jeffrey Bender from
Good for securing and backing up data with room for improvement to be considered after production is finalized
What is our primary use case?
We're still in the process of the migration, so we're hoping that it will help with business and serving customers. We're hoping that it will be faster. We had previous file limitations with our old technology. We're hoping to better utilize the NetApp arrays to serve our expanding and growing business.
How has it helped my organization?
If the data is deduplicated, we'll hopefully begin to save space. We're also hoping it will allow our business clients to access their data faster, and we'll be able to read and write it faster as well using all-flash technology.
What is most valuable?
The C400 flash arrays have been very valuable so far.
We'll use it to secure data, back up that data, and replicate it to other data centers. We'll leverage it to take a holistic approach to data replication, backup, and accessibility.
We're assuming accessing and writing files will be a lot snappier with opening files will be faster. That's what we're looking at. We're hoping for a lot of speed.
What needs improvement?
We don't have it in production yet. We don't have areas for improvement right now. Once we put it into production and get client feedback, we'll have more visibility.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did use a different solution. We made the change based on the price point and being able to open more files.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked into Dell and another big player in the space. We chose this solution based on the price point and the all-flash technology.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. We just got it. We're expecting it will be faster and that we'll see some good compression and deep replication on our data.
The evolving cybersecurity landscape and proliferation of AI influenced our technology decisions. It's a factor in every decision that we make. The security is very important. I know other vendors provide similar types of types of security, and data tech and data security as well.
We're using it all just for NAS right now. We possibly might use it
for SAN in the future and then maybe archiving.
We're very new to AI and it will be a consideration in the future. Cybersecurity for sure will also be a priority and data optimization is the most important.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560527 from
The solution delivers higher performance for our applications and reduces downtime
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp delivers higher performance for our applications, which do a lot of database calls. All our database volumes run on NetApp. Adopting the solution reduces latency, and high throughput enables our applications to respond to customers faster.
It's hard to say how much faster because we've gone through generations of NetApp hardware, from spinning disk to SSD and flash. This may have reduced our response times by 2-5 seconds during peak times. The AFF is loaded, so perceived latency makes a huge difference.
We've reduced downtime. Without all of NetApp's benefits, we would have had to reconfigure parts of storage that would have required downtime. We have dramatically reduced our downtime through successive generations of NetApp, allowing us to get Five 9s availability.
I don't know that AI has affected our business in particular so far. We have various cybersecurity controls in place, and we're using some of NetApp's built-in ransomware attack prevention measures. We're currently keeping up pace with the applications and forthcoming AI. We haven't delved too much into AI yet, but it's coming. I'm trying to keep up with the performance demand for those technologies. We'll stay with NetApp to accomplish those goals.
What is most valuable?
We have 400 Series, providing AFF. The clustering of all those nodes and the flexibility to move volumes around within a cluster have given us an opportunity to respond to growth and fix the latency problems we've received.
What needs improvement?
The solution's ransomware protection could be improved.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked at Pure Storage and EMC before the Dell merger. We had issues with Pure's maturity. NetApp was considerably more mature in AFF storage. It was also simpler regarding the ONTAP interface and things that simplified it for us. Some of it was cost. Dell EMC continues to be more expensive than NetApp. It helped that NetApp was simple to use and implement.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate NetApp a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Akeem Richmond from
Greatly increased our ability to offer storage and data throughput for jobs and services we provide to our customers
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp has greatly increased our ability to offer storage and data throughput for jobs and services we provide to our customers, enabling them to further enhance their development and modeling work.
Switching to NetApp allowed us to grow the ESXi environment we use as a backbone, increasing storage, throughput, and speed. We could also increase the number of virtual machines we could host, greatly increasing the productivity and speed at which customers develop and manage the software that they create.
We could streamline our operations by adding controllers to increase the capacity we could use. Our environment is isolated, so utilizing some of NetApp's tools allowed us to better manage the clusters, the management host, and the additional requirements for the system's inputs and outputs.
The most significant outcome for us has been growth. We can get the storage off the server, increasing our virtualization and the number of file systems we can offer our customers. There was a time when we had one site that would order 30 different servers to complete the mission. With the new setup, I can do the same with four servers and a single node.
One pain point that drove us to adopt NetApp was a reduction in staff. My team originally had four people to support 30 sites and 600 customers on average. Now we're down to me, my partner, and a contractor. NetApp has helped us grow and keep pace with the requirements.
We've been tasked to develop an AI base incorporated with the bigger company Okay. They want us to extend down and expand our site to 40 additional sites and company subsites. The company wants to look into developing that through 2024 and beyond.
We expect to expand greatly. I have to be careful with our spending, so it's a little hard to get things approved because of how the company is, but this is the task we've been given, and the number of networks that we support will require us to increase our NetApp systems across multiple networks.
We hope to create a cloud simulation of what's out there so the technicians know that the cloud is somebody else's computer. However, we need to develop that so our end users don't confuse what they perceive as the cloud with what we are actually providing to them.
Our investments will focus on cyber security and data storage because the amount of information they need to store in that repository is tremendous. We also need to simulate what's out there regarding Zero Trust and duplicate what the broader company is doing on a smaller, isolated scale.
For innovation, we expect to present to company leaders what things could look like for other mission providers and all the additional offsets they have in other environments. We must present a way forward for them to move in future developments and outlines of how they place the equipment and provide the equipment to their outside entities.
What is most valuable?
We had the 840 model, but it became outdated, so we brought in some fast 2750s, and we plan to add some 250s to step up with technology. The ONTAP tools make managing VMware easier.
We look forward to using NetApp's zero-trust technology. We've been looking into new ways to develop it, and we've got a hybrid FlexPod situation because we do not use Cisco UCS servers. However, we still use that capability due to security requirements that are tied to Cisco. It allows us to address the zero-trust architecture as we develop it for our site.
What needs improvement?
It's hard to find in-person training that fits our schedule in our area. They offer a lot of online training, but we need somewhere to go because we can't really get away from the office.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Dell EMC and HP are two storage providers we looked at. We decided to go with NetApp because of the high-quality support we get for Cisco systems and the fact that we can actually make a single call to Cisco or NetApp to get answers from either.
We're in a disconnected environment and their standalone support systems that don't require cloud access or access to a host provider help. We can take some of our logs off the system and email them to tech support. It helps us because we don't always need somebody to come from the vendor for an on-site visit.
Support is always our priority. When NetApp develops new technologies, we appreciate that they're willing to share that information and provide a roadmap outlining a transition from where you are to where you could be. This is a critical factor in choosing them as our storage provider.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp solutions 10 out of 10. You have the right tools, knowledge, and phenomenal customer service, so it helps with everything we're doing and enables us to complete our mission quicker and easier. We can't just reach into the cloud to get support. NetApp allows us to call and start those tech cases. It's great.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
AlexSun1 from
It can speed up our production and save us time
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp has increased our speed. It can speed up our production and save us time. Our production runs on NetApp, and the data cannot be disturbed. It gives us the capacity and speed we need for our production data.
NetApp's new technology will improve our skills, which we can use to improve the company. We will have the architecture to deal with production issues and improve our production environment, enabling us to make more money. For example, adding AI technology will significantly enhance our operations because AI can perform traditional maintenance and routine jobs.
Our investment priority should be security because we're still growing on a straight path. The second one should be a true cluster. NetApp's cluster is still not an actual cluster. Then we'll have a perfect product.
What is most valuable?
I like NetApp's edge visualization and load balancing.
What needs improvement?
NetApp could lower the price and offer a true cluster architecture. It's currently a 1.4 cluster, not a real 2.0 cluster.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp solutions eight out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Arista Thurman from
Enables us to grow a file system immediately on demand
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp has enabled us to transition from legacy configurations and continue to do some of the same things we did before implementing NetApp storage. It helps us with simple things, like allowing us to grow a file system immediately. Customers can do their own self-restores.
I've combined other NetApp systems into one of our newer platforms, taking other file-sharing solutions native to Windows or Mac and creating file shares, yielding a better return on our investment. At the same time, we are providing better resources and more efficient channels for files.
When we had another vendor, backups were not done efficiently, so we lost critical data. That's why we went with this solution. It has required us to think differently about how we will implement it. Anything we do needs some aspect of AI involved to help us because we don't have enough resources in terms of money or labor power.
We have considered using WEKA io or S3, but we have a history with NetApp, and it's been solid. We have it in multiple layers, so we can't make those shifts without interrupting many business systems. Ease of use is one of those critical things. We're familiar with it. Making those changes is too much of a lift and would be costly.
When you evaluate what it costs to bring in a new vendor or platform versus what you've already invested in that app, it makes that decision easy. Right now, I plan to start doing some more data tiering. We bought a storage grid we use for backup but want to use for data tiering. S3 will be a protocol we can use for clients needing to access things from various platforms.
We want to add more. We want to build out our source grid infrastructure because that can allow us to do data tiering, backups, and another protocol to enable users to use data more efficiently. It's also secure, and all those things are part of our effort to be more efficient. You can't have one without the other.
Our organization recently underwent a major upgrade, and we're expecting exponential data growth over the next few years. We must embrace what we currently have and the building blocks to grow and understand the demand. We have to do that seamlessly, but we can't do it with the same resources we have now.
What is most valuable?
We could not consolidate resources between NFS and Sys services without the NetApp appliance or something like it.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp 10 out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
ChristopherJones from
Allows us to tier off older data at a cheaper cost
What is our primary use case?
NetApp allows us to provide resiliency in operations. We had some data center outages before, however, our operations under this service offering were untouched, unscathed. Due to that, we're deploying more of the product in our infrastructure.
How has it helped my organization?
We had many issues with our current NAS offering with the competitor's product. With some enhancements to the Apple stack, we're able to provide a better service. It also allows us to tier off older data at a cheaper cost.
What is most valuable?
We use StorageGRID, which is now our go-to archive platform. We're able to use that tool to archive a lot of other third-party arrays from Dell EMC and Data Domain, and specifically with the PowerScale platform, we're able to archive using their native tiering tools to the NetApp platform.
We're keeping our data archive for more than seven years. We needed a cost solution that was better than AWS. We looked at different vendor offerings, including ECS and VAST, and we chose StorageGRID over them.
The evolving cybersecurity landscape and proliferation of AI influenced our technology decisions. We wanted something that would integrate with some type of malware protection. And we did a POC on Cloud Insights, and then, used the BlueX Blue classification tool to identify the data, figure out who owns the data, and to provide some governance around our data. It's a really good product.
Once we automate the provisioning process through our cloud portal, we're going to be presenting this as a better offering to our customers. Right now, it's behind the scenes. It's word-of-mouth. We still have a ton of studios and tons of other segments wanting to get on board with our tools.
What needs improvement?
We had some issues with some of the product's POCs; however, once the bugs are all ironed out, everything is golden. We had a lot of issues with two-factor authentication using, for example, Okta.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked at a few other solutions, including Pure Storage and Dell EMC.
We chose this solution based on integration with automation tools such as Ansible and the native tools of fabric cooling, and native tiering within the product.
Our next goals would be to add some type of QoS to the platform and also be able to integrate with other cloud providers as we migrate stuff back from the cloud.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It's really, really good.
While our main driver is innovation, upper leadership's concern is always cost. We're always pushed towards cost. We found a good solution with this product.
Our upcoming investments will be prioritized around data storage and optimization, cybersecurity, and AI. We're doing all three at the same time. We'll have to get the go-ahead from upper managers to pursue AI initiatives. At the same time, we're getting a big push from global security to do malware intrusion protection.
We want a way to dedupe and replicate our data. We were using filers using SnapMirror, and now we're taking our snapshots across data center support on StorageGRID.
It's helping us achieve our budget constraints while allowing us to work in other areas.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560530 from
You can spin up an instance within a few minutes, reducing the total time it takes to offer service to the customer
What is our primary use case?
We are a big unstructured file data storage company. We use NetApp solutions like AFF for our unstructured data. NetApp is primarily for provisioning storage and maintaining unstructured data.
How has it helped my organization?
We love NetApp. We haven't had any significant issues, and it's a great technology. They are going in the right direction. NetApp has helped us serve data to customers through NetApp. We host multiple applications. One of them is NGS Next Gen Sequencing, one of the critical operating platforms or applications, and NetApp has been instrumental in this.
The NetApp solution has streamlined our operations, incredibly improving the time it takes to deliver to businesses. Their cloud offerings are great. You can spin up the NetApp instance within a few minutes, reducing the total time it takes to offer service to the customer.
We plan to expand usage in the future. Our renewals are coming up next year, so we hope we'll have the greatest systems installed at our site. Our future investments will prioritize data storage, optimization, and cybersecurity.
We are not doing AI now, but we look forward to it. From the ransomware perspective, it's excellent that NetApp offers a guarantee when you sign up for that feature.
What is most valuable?
NetApp's cloud-based PaaS has been a massive help for unstructured data.
What needs improvement?
NetApp could improve costs while making the solution more straightforward to use and deploy.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have Dell EMC Unity arrays. NetApp offers better reliability and cost of ownership for unstructured data.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp eight out of 10. If they could bring total costs down and make it easier to deploy the on-prem systems quicker, I would give it a 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560488 from
Works without having to touch it and everything is faster than it used to be
How has it helped my organization?
It has sped up everything through the all-flash storage. Everything is faster than it used to be. Everybody can access their VDIs fast and get to their servers fast. There is probably a 5x or 10x faster speed, but I am not sure. It is just quick. Nobody is waiting for things anymore.
The switch to the work-from-home model because of COVID was the key challenge that our business wanted to address. Before COVID, it was all in the office, and then after COVID, everyone was working from home. We wanted to scale the VDIs easily and spin up VMs that people can use on a day-to-day basis.
What is most valuable?
All-flash storage has definitely delivered the most value to our organization. We have a large VDI deployment, and there is now no wait time when they are booting up. Everything is quick. Everything builds fast. I would give it a ten out of ten. It is easy to use. It just runs. I never have to touch it. Without it, we would probably not have been able to grow our VDI deployment. The compression and dedupe required would not have been possible without it.
What needs improvement?
I would like to improve the ransomware aspect. We get a lot of false positives, and there are no details of what is happening. This seems to be already fixed in the new version.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we have used Hitachi and other lesser-known solid-state storage vendors. I do not know the reason for choosing NetApp at the time because I was not there for that decision.
I am familiar with other solutions. The advantage of the NetApp solution is that it is easy to use. SnapMirror is very nice and easy to set up. It is easy. When we push in a volume, it is automatically replicated to our DR site. It is touch and go. We can do it with one click.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have been working with NetApp for the last five to eight years. We have not evaluated any other solution. We have been happy with them, so we stuck with them.
What other advice do I have?
We definitely like the anti-ransomware capability. That is cool to have. I am excited to go to the new version where we also have fewer false positives. There is all-new reporting which is cool, so I will have to look at how to do more in-depth reporting than what we do now.
Data is always growing. We will see where our usage goes. We have had the biggest impact by going to the all-flash storage. We just purchased a C800, so that would be around for the next couple of years. We do not have any goals for our next technology investments over the next couple of years.
We are not yet too big on AI. It would be exciting to try to use some of the AI features. I want to see how that works.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560548 from
Adopting one device for all those services saves power in the data center while simplifying management because you don't need to manage two different systems
What is our primary use case?
We use both NetApp's FaaS and AFF solutions. It's a hybrid that we use for FileMaker.
Our use case is to implement it for our clients.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp enables us to consolidate file and block storage into one device instead of using separate devices. Adopting one device for all those services saves power in the data center while simplifying management because you don't need to manage two different systems. We save power costs at the rack site.
One technology we hope to acquire is ransomware detection. We have block, file, and object storage, but we don't have ransomware protection. We need a second off-site disaster recovery location.
What is most valuable?
I work on the infrastructure engineering side. I usually get to install NetApp appliances, and I like how easy the installation is. It seems to be easier than other technologies that we use.
What needs improvement?
NetApp could offer more training for new learners because it's a relatively new product portfolio to me.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used HPE and Dell EMC. Previously, we used Dell ECS for object storage and Dell PowerStore for block storage. NetApp enabled us to unify our storage services.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp solutions eight out of 10.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560995 from
Streamlines internal operations with good performance and reliability
What is our primary use case?
We are a semiconductor manufacturer. We use the solution for our data for manufacturing, design, research, and development. Our customers are satisfied. We deliver products on time, sometimes ahead of time. For our customers, the solution has contributed to the stability and the performance has contributed to the way we actually roll out our products. Partially our customer satisfaction is coming from the fact that we are always on time and our quality is high. And of course, storage reliability is one of the components of that.
What is most valuable?
The performance, reliability, and stability are all very good.
NetApp has helped to streamline our internal operations and adapt to changing market conditions. Storage tools and protocols, like SnapMirror or FlexCache, have enabled us to move data more quickly and with more ease and handle distributed data pretty much without any additional hassle.
Over the years, the main features have been great, and the introduction of Snapshot has become really big. Most recently, it's been the addition of FlexCache.
What needs improvement?
We'd like to see data move faster. We have distributed data around the world and we'd like to synchronize and move data faster between our locations.
We'd like to have faster reaction time to particular needs.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using NetApp since 1996.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We plan to deploy more servers to more locations and enable FlexCache for most of our data.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support, the amount of experts that the solution has as a company, and then making them available to us, has been great.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
There are a lot of competing companies, in particular, EMC and Pure Storage. We have the most familiarity with this product since we've been using it for over two decades.
What other advice do I have?
We haven't tried everybody in the world, and we probably don't want to say that the solution is the best since we don't want them to rest on their laurels. That said, I would easily rate NetApp nine out of ten.
Now, all other companies are copying that solution's success.
The most important aspects of any solution are cost and innovation.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560455 from
Enables our apps to run fast and protects us against ransomware
How has it helped my organization?
We are the local government, so we have a lot of customer data. With NetApp, we feel secure. We feel our data is safe. NetApp has good compute, so our apps run faster with this solution.
We use ransomware protection, which is very good technology that NetApp provides to us. We can enable it with one click and our data is secure. We do not have to use any other product to protect the data when our data is residing on NetApp.
I would rate the ransomware protection technology an eight out of ten. Without it, it is very hard to manage our data and protect our data. Nowadays, we see all kinds of attacks on public data. Without NetApp, we would not at all feel safe.
What is most valuable?
We just updated to the latest version, and the GUI has changed a lot. It is user-friendly. Everybody can use it, not just the technical people.
What needs improvement?
Their customer support can be better.
How are customer service and support?
We opened a couple of tickets for their support. Not all of them were bad. We had issues with some of them. For example, we scheduled a meeting with their support at 5 PM after hours, but their support never showed up.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We first chose to have Pure Storage, but after the PoC and a few trials, we decided to go for this solution because it is stable and scalable. It is also more user-friendly.
We have not used a lot of features that NetApp provides. The only feature that we use right now is ransomware protection. For ransomware protection, NetApp stands out for our company.
Innovation was a factor in our decision-making process. NetApp updates its products almost every day. They are on top of the technology. They now have AI, ransomware protection, cloud, and other things.
What other advice do I have?
We need to migrate our data to the cloud. It is difficult to migrate the amount of data we have in a short time. Our current challenge is migration.
We would like to use NetApp Cloud. That will have a big impact on my company because it will be easier to use for us and more secure. We would not have any headaches related to expanding or scaling it. Our goal is to move to NetApp Cloud.
Our upcoming investments will be prioritized around data storage and cybersecurity. These are the top priorities that we have right now.
It is hard to say if the evolving cybersecurity landscape and proliferation of AI have influenced our technology decisions. That is because we have to provide the information or data to AI in order to get the AI working correctly, but I would consider using AI.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. Better customer support will make it a ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Adam Schroeder from
Enables us to provide more and faster connections for our users and simplifies future hardware replacement
What is most valuable?
NetApp solutions are easy to maintain and upgrade.
For how long have I used the solution?
NetApp allows us to provide more and faster connections for our users and simplifies future hardware replacement. That's why we purchased NetApp.
Innovation is probably the most critical factor. We wanted the ability to refresh hardware. Our biggest pain point was running out of space on our current NAS. It was approaching the end of its life, so we needed to find a new solution to replace our existing hardware.
Our future expansion into NetApp will probably be going from HCI back to just SAN solutions. Data storage solutions and cybersecurity are our investment priorities.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked at Dell's PowerScale and Pure Storage's FlashBlade. The decision came down to the cost relative to the number of connections we could have and the amount of storage we could get. The NetApp solution was all-flash, so it was also faster in most cases. One solution was spinning disk, and it just got thrown out.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp solutions nine out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Raviteja Koti from
Provides unified storage and ease of replication from on-prem to the cloud
How has it helped my organization?
The replication of data from on-premises to the cloud is very easy when we are using the SnapMirror technology.
Being able to use FlexCache is the best part of this solution. It is something that on-premises users are using for their production. There are some users who want to use the same volume from the cloud. FlexCache helps us in providing that.
What is most valuable?
We have a unified storage to access the file and NAS. We can do all the things in the same solution. We do not need any other product or storage mix.
CVO and AFF technologies have delivered the most value to our company. I would rate AFF a ten out of ten, and I would rate CVO a nine out of ten. We are still exploring the cloud. AFF is completely packed, and with CVO, we have a few challenges that we are trying to solve. Taking a snapshot and cloning are some of the best things that we are doing with these technologies. CVO also offers cost-effectiveness.
What needs improvement?
Their customer support can be better. When we have an outage, we need to wait until the issue is escalated to L3 which takes a lot of time. If that can be improved, it will help a lot. If there is any issue, we should be able to resolve it immediately instead of waiting for so long to get a qualified resource from NetApp.
How are customer service and support?
We have a NetApp partner and we also have a point of contact from NetApp with whom we have regular calls every week. We can see what the new products are and we try to adopt the new ones.
If there are any issues, we can get NetApp support to get them resolved. Their customer support can be better.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We considered another solution that is used only for SAN and is server block storage. With this solution, we get both SAN and NAS within the same storage device. We chose this solution due to its flexibility.
What other advice do I have?
We have had a few outages on the CVO where the host needed more performance but the CVO that we selected in terms of disk type and other things was not able to support that workload. To support that workload, we moved the host to ANF instead of CVO.
We are moving towards AI, but we are not fully involved as of now.
We have plans to increase its usage both on-prem and on the cloud. Data is constantly growing. We need more capacity. New business needs require new storage. New projects require more storage.
Cost saving on the cloud is the goal we have. We do not know how much exactly it will come out to be because it is on a usage basis. It can grow constantly, and then for one month, it can come down. We need to make sure that the cost is constant.
Our upcoming investments would be prioritized around data storage and cybersecurity. Data storage is the main thing that we cannot avoid. Cybersecurity is something that we need to make our environment secure.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304681 from
It helps us expand our business, manage and secure our data
What is our primary use case?
To accommodate growth, we invested in the technology to manage data that must be retained for at least six years to comply with legal requirements. Consequently, as our data storage reaches capacity, the overall size of our storage grid has significantly increased.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp has been essential to our data management for the past ten years. Our environment includes PaaS 8200 and AFF 300 systems, with a storage group dedicated to aggregating clinical data for use in New York State. This enterprise-level solution has served us exceptionally well, and we rely on it heavily.
The utility of the SSDs with the AFF series. We have some high-performing databases and high-performing active computational use from those systems. So, that's been pivotal in terms of performance. We ingest a lot of data, and having the ability to deliver that data for our analytics is paramount.
Our company is constantly evolving, with new demands and features emerging. This solution helps us maintain momentum and stability.
What is most valuable?
The AFF series SSDs delivered the most value to our business. We definitely needed the horsepower. I would rate them nine out of ten. It is a high demand in our environment. So once we know that our developers and DBAs need that, everybody wants it. That's the only caveat, not giving it a ten because now, it's a demand that we need to get as much as we can regarding scalability. We also have other technologies that help out the storage grid because we have a whole storage box. Additionally, we must retain clinical data for a certain number of years to comply with state regulations, which prevents us from purging old data.
What needs improvement?
I am trying to take advantage of all available features to protect our data, especially considering the high risk of ransomware. To ensure data security, we will explore various options, including replicating data to our disaster recovery site. NetApp can help in these endeavours by focusing more on security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for ten years.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate NetApp eight out of ten.
Given the evolving cybersecurity landscape and proliferation of AI, we are freshening up our cybersecurity, and AI is an initiative our senior management wants us to look into.
We were part of another organization that separated, and they always had NetApp.
We are investing in additional hardware and increasing our focus on NetApp resources to address expiring tools and facilitate expansion.
We expect the expansion to positively impact our organization, allowing us to scale our business.
Our company always has initiatives to expand its capabilities, and NetApp can help with that.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560971 from
Easy data storage with room to expand and has good pricing
What is our primary use case?
NetApp has made data storage much easier.
How has it helped my organization?
I can get a NetApp and have it deployed within days instead of something else like we used to use Hitachi arrays. It required an actual team to come in and install. The ease and scalability are monumental.
What is most valuable?
The usability of actually being able to scale it out has been great.
ONTAP has delivered the most value to our organization. Also, the ease of ability to train other people to use ONTAP is great. It is very straightforward. I can take a brand new tech who is straight out of an internship, bring them in, show them how to do A, B, C, and D, and it doesn't deviate. It's the same no matter which cluster they touch.
What needs improvement?
I honestly don't have anything of note on how they can improve. They already exceed my expectations.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We do constantly expand. We get new programs all the time. The fact that we can throw a C250 in and have it up and running in days makes life so much easier.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We actually recently got off of -two Gseries from Hitachi that were spinning disks, and we went to all flash arrays. All of the engineering issues that they had for all of their software programming, time delays, et cetera, are nonexistent anymore.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Money has been a serious constraint. The fact that they're making things more affordable is making our lives that much easier to keep up with our accreditations. We can show that we can save money by doing more with less, and we can do that with this solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did evaluate other options. The speed on this solution is more. Cost was a big one in the decision making factor.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Security is always the top concern. We'll always prioritize cybersecurity. I like the fact that the solution encrypts everything, that it is a trusted brand, that we know that we have the support in the event that anything happens. They back their product 100%.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560524 from
Flexible with great design and simple management
What is our primary use case?
The storage aspect is the main area we utilize.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp has provided us with a lot of flexibility. It helps us a lot with fast deliveries. It offers simple management.
What is most valuable?
The design has been great. It checks all the boxes with less struggle compared to other technologies.
What needs improvement?
The knowledge base could be improved. We want to continue to learn things and move forward.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We do plan to expand usage. This product is our primary storage.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We considered solutions like Dell and EMC. This product just checked the boxes. Security was also a big factor when deciding which to choose.
What other advice do I have?
Our goal moving forward is to get the latest technologies as needed. In the future, upcoming investments will center around AI, data storage and optimization and cybersecurity. We might leverage AI and how we do things internally and assess what we can and can't improve.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2561004 from
IL6 compliance and fast data transfers make our work easy
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp allows a lot more ease to conduct business, especially with the customer. In our organization, a lot of solutions may seem simple, but we have to get through the hoops. For government security reasons, it is very hard to find solutions, and NetApp has done a very good job at being IL6 compliant. They have made it easier for us to be compliant with our customers.
It allows us to speed up processes that normally would take days. That is the way we currently use it. We are still looking into other ways we could use it, but right now, it allows us to transfer and move data extremely faster than what we were doing before. It is at least 60% to 70% faster.
What is most valuable?
Right now, we are only using ONTAP. It does everything we need, so I would rate it a ten out of ten. The whole point of our project and the team I lead is that we wanted to be able to move data from a ship back to shore. With ONTAP, we are able to do that extremely fast, especially based on the way we were doing it before.
What needs improvement?
Based on what I have seen at NetApp INSIGHT, everything is being taken care of, and I do not have any immediate thoughts about it.
I am hoping that after this conference and within the next couple of weeks, we could have more communication with them, and we could be more hands-on. That is not anyone's fault. We have more of a need, so we will reach out more, and hopefully, we can get things done. The people we work with do a rather good job. It is more of our problem. NetApp does a good job.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
VAST was a pretty major one. That was probably the biggest one. NetApp was a lot more hands-on. They were very eager. Because of the way our budget was structured, we were able to give them a trial run before we could give VAST a trial.
I believe VAST did have similar capabilities, but we found it a lot easier to integrate with NetApp, especially based on our security lockdowns and things like that.
For us, security is the most important factor in our decision-making process.
What other advice do I have?
The project I currently work on is called IRAD, which is more of an experimental project. We get a budget or experimental money to use, and then based on that, we will decide if we want to implement long-term contracts. I am currently working on the second part of that project. The first part was successful and if the second part is also successful, we will sit down and have some serious talks about expanding our usage. There would be a lot more growth with that expansion. If the project is successful, we will be able to use it more.
In terms of our next technology investments, based on my meetings with other NetApp executives at NetApp INSIGHT, my team and I are going to look into using BlueXP. After this conference, hopefully, within a couple of weeks, we can have some meetings scheduled to talk about how we could do that.
Our upcoming investments will be prioritized around data storage and optimization and maybe AI. We have a lot of data in our company. It is getting to a point where we may need some help to be able to have it all centralized, and then we could pick it from one spot rather than multiple spots.
I feel it is very important to be able to see and analyze our data because it helps drive decisions, and we need to be able to make the best decisions, especially for the customer.
The evolving cybersecurity landscape and proliferation of AI have not influenced our technology decisions.
I would rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Eric Kim from
Unified with faster data, and a comprehensive portfolio of features
What is our primary use case?
The solution has made our lives easier by providing many different storage efficient features and data protection features. In the past two years, they've really accelerated their future offerings, and that has really helped us better secure our environment and also increase efficiency.
How has it helped my organization?
One of the main features we use is FlexCache. By using FlexCache, we were able to move a limited set of data to remote locations much more quickly than having to replicate entire datasets and improve customer satisfaction in terms of quicker access to data and even having access to data to a closer location to where they are and that has provided tremendous value for us.
What is most valuable?
Without this solution, it would have made things a lot slower in terms of getting the data set that's important for customers to access.
What needs improvement?
FlexCache currently works only on reads. The writes actually go back to the source. The product just introduced writing back locally, and the feature hasn't been rolled out yet. When that works as we expect it to, that will bring it to the table.
Better pricing would always be appreciated.
When new ONTAP cloud versions come out, they need to have fewer bugs.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We're pretty much using every single feature that the solution offers, aside from BlueXP. We're evaluating that too. We're in a cloud model and we're in the early stages of moving some workloads in.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've explored other vendors. I can't say which; however, compared to many other source vendors, this product is unique in terms of providing a comprehensive portfolio of features that others simply don't have. It's much more unified than all the others. That's why we chose them.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
It's pretty comprehensive; we're always looking for better efficiency.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Lautaro Di Martino from
It helps us grow while maintaining the stability of our data
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp helps us grow while maintaining the stability of our data. In the national justice ministry, we are using a storage grid and the AFF application. It's a good, flexible tool that we can adapt.
What is most valuable?
We value NetApp's ransomware protection the most.
What needs improvement?
The web management interface has fewer options than the on-prem console.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have used NetApp since 2010.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp 10 out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560956 from
Easy to provision storage with streamlined internal operations and good value for price
What is our primary use case?
NetApp has allowed us to get all of our storage onto one platform across various facilities, and it's eased the management of that storage.
How has it helped my organization?
It's enabled us to allow admins across the IT organization to more easily manage their own subset of data within our organization.
What is most valuable?
NetApp has allowed us to streamline internal operations. It makes it very easy for us to provision storage when we need it. So when storage needs come up, being on this product, it's typically very easy for us to meet those needs without needing to make large changes to our environment.
We're pretty much just using the solution's hardware. We're using FAS systems. We're not really leveraging the cloud services yet. At this point, it's mostly the on-prem hardware and the product ecosystem that we're leveraging.
A big upside is being able to restore from previous snapshots. With this product, we have good snapshot availability and good snapshot retention. On lesser storage platforms, we didn't have the ability to so easily go back to previous versions of our data. That's a big reason that the solution is beneficial to us as an organization.
What needs improvement?
There is some learning curve that goes into it. It's been a bit of a journey for us to to learn how to leverage everything. That's not a knock against the product; it's just sort of a learning curve so that it does take a little bit of time to introduce it to an environment. It's not like you can just know how to use it right away.
A big problem with physical appliances is that updating them can be a bit burdensome. It can take a lot of labor time. I would like to see the ONTAP platform become a little more hands-off with upgrades.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We're considering expanding. We're not committed to it yet. We're weighing our options and considering expanding our usage. It can help us manage our data more effectively and get our data better governed, which will prepare us for the future. It could also help us get to the cloud. AI is coming and it could help us there.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've used Dell's storage offerings, which are not as mature, even though they add storage. We've used Synology as well. NetApp is in a class above those two offerings. When we acquired these products, it was a bit more of commodity hardware. As we've integrated into that ecosystem, we are beginning to try to leverage some more of what the product offers.
It offers a level of compatibility, protocol offerings, and management options that other products lack.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cost is a big factor in our decision-making process. When we're buying storage, the first thing we look at is how much we're paying per gigabyte. Cost has been the driving factor when choosing this solution. It might not be the cheapest option; however, when you see the value you're getting from it, then it begins to be more cost-effective.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. It's a really good product. It's a really powerful product, which makes it an eight.
We've had this product prior to the whole AI surge that's going on right now. And at this point, we haven't really changed our environment to react to that yet. We may do it in the future.
For future investments, our goals will focus on performance needs and increasing workloads. Cybersecurity will be prioritized. It's our biggest priority. Safeguarding the data is the first job that we all have as data administrators. Having good cybersecurity, and hopefully, with the help of this product, will allow us to more confidently go down new innovation journeys and try new things. A lot of times, when you want to innovate, you need to consider first how it will impact your security. If we have good visibility on our cybersecurity, it'll allow us to innovate more effectively.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Sedrick Haynes from
Saves money, has high performance, and streamlined internal operations
What is our primary use case?
NetApp has always been one of the best storage solutions on the market.
How has it helped my organization?
We are an 85% NetApp shop, and it has been extremely helpful. We've been able to save a lot of money with the introduction of the use of the tiering aspect and the flex groups. We're able to move data around on the fly.
From a VMware perspective and from a high-performance computing perspective, it is able to churn data as fast as we will do it. It's been great. We're able to identify a lot of data thanks to Cloud Insights. Generally, about 80% of data is not in use. To be able to tier that data automatically has been key. Then, being able to move the data to a specific place or on the fly to a different aggregate with a different disk has been a big benefit.
What is most valuable?
The solution has helped streamline our internal operations. It helps a lot with the use of WFA - workflow analytics. It allows us to provision storage quickly. And with the use of BluXP, we're able to monitor, manage, and do some other general things with ease and quickness in terms of provisioning. We're a cloud shop now, and we use Azure. So we use a lot of AFF and a lot of CDOs. And so we now have the ability to provision things a lot faster. The upgrades are a lot faster. The bills are a lot faster. It's definitely progressed yearly.
We're working with Cloud Volumes ONTAP and BluXP. We have some on-premise stuff. That said, we're actually moving to the Keystone site next week. We're going to be replicating or migrating data from the on-premise site to Keystone. We're also collecting data from Delphi and SLB. They're moving 15 to 20 petabytes in. Everything we're doing, we're using NetApp's XCP solution. We're using Cloud Sync to do all these moves. We're using a lot of stuff.
The cloud service is a lot better. I've dealt with initial cloud providers from a hybrid solution that was not necessarily up to par. The level of administration or support with some of the other solutions just doesn't compare. Once we got this solution, everything just went smoothly.
What needs improvement?
To get the performance in Azure has been a challenge. We're moving everything to Azure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've personally been using the solution myself since maybe the year 2000.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We're currently introducing Cloud Insight to help us manage users better. We're implementing that now. In terms of expansion, we're opening pretty much everything.
We're in the middle of a large migration project involving 12 to 13 petabytes of data, which has been a big project lately.
How are customer service and support?
One of the best things is the support Itself. I've never had an issue with anything. The support was a lot better than any others I had to deal with.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
With other solutions, the level of management that's needed was a challenge. The management aspect of this solution is better. BluXP, the storage manager, the CLI, all of that stuff, it just makes life a lot easier. I've worked with a lot of other solutions. I don't want to mention them.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did look into EMC, Dell, Hitachi, and Microsoft. From a storage management perspective and a NAS perspective, this solution is better.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten. It's the best in the industry.
The proliferation of AI and the evolving cybersecurity landscape hasn't influenced our technology decisions yet. We are in the process of moving towards AI. It's coming, and we're definitely looking at it.
We've been a NetApp shop for 12 years. We do periodically try other solutions, however, that's gone by the wayside. We're basically a NetApp and Microsoft shop.
Our upcoming investments will be prioritized around storage and security - and AI in the future. The key is to save money. We're moving things and disabling machines that are no longer needed. From a performance perspective, we're always trying to find different solutions that will help customers. We're working to get to data a lot faster.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jesse Lyon from
Enabled us to move from a monolithic approach to a more flexible model
What is our primary use case?
We invested in NetApp technology to address our scalability and modernization requirements. Another platform we manage and aim to enhance with NetApp technologies is backups, currently residing on NetApp E Series. Each site has five to seven E Series systems handling backups.
Compared to NetApp AFF or C Series, E Series is extremely reliable but lacks features, offering basic connectivity and performance but limited capabilities. For backups, we're looking to modernize our approach and leverage features like SnapLock for rapid recovery, increasing our capacity for mass restores in case of ransomware or other incidents. We're exploring the C Series with QLC drives, seeking the optimal fit and cost-effective solution. We anticipate the C Series ASAs will likely be the answer, providing the right balance of features and efficiency for our backup needs in the coming months.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp technology has significantly improved how we operate and serve our customers. We were attempting to migrate from several legacy appliances that functioned adequately, but planning our next steps was challenging. Many vendors we worked with took a scattered approach. We would ask for a replacement block solution with specific features and a NAS solution with other specific features, both performing exceptionally well.
One vendor offered nine different ways to achieve this, unable to clearly identify the best fit for us. This may not seem significant until we realize their largest competitor couldn't narrow it down to two options when we asked them to. It was almost a paralysis of choice within their own offerings. So, we switched to two or three other vendors who offered seemingly decent solutions, but it felt like a technological step backward. Their solutions were monolithic, difficult to scale, and challenging to work with in the future. My manager and I had prior NetApp experience at another organization, but our current location had no NetApp presence. It was a significant mindset shift for my colleagues and me.
NetApp allowed us to move from a monolithic approach, where an array served a single purpose and was impossible to grow without spending millions to replace it, to a more flexible model. We initially purchased the AFF 8200 and A300 lines, which have served us well for several years. We've been able to scale horizontally with new projects and products requiring hundreds of terabytes of storage. Instead of buying entirely new systems, we can simply add more gear to the existing cluster and expand it. This approach has benefited not just a few specific products but the entire organization. It has enabled us to scale horizontally within days instead of months spent onboarding a new vendor, installing, configuring, and learning a new appliance, only to find it doesn't meet our needs. NetApp has made us more agile in implementing new solutions and has reduced stress significantly. We've moved from constantly planning new purchases and integrations to simply deciding if we need more and, if so, adding it to the existing cluster. It's been an amazing shift from being reactive to proactive, empowering us to focus on other tasks. What used to be a full-time job for one person is now easily manageable for our three-person team.
The ever-changing cybersecurity landscape and the rise of AI have significantly impacted our technology infrastructure. We've isolated a few nodes from a former cluster, leaving them to function independently - they're like the forgotten stepchildren, enduring hardship without complaint. Thanks to extensive automation, we never have to log into them. These nodes support SnapLock, which provides peace of mind knowing the data is undeletable - even by admins or support staff. Only the passage of time, specifically the expiration of compliance timers, allows for deletion. Ironically, I designed a system so secure that it's now impeding my own migration efforts. An audit volume with a 90-day compliance timer remains on an old cluster, and I'm forced to wait for it to expire before proceeding. This underscores the effectiveness of the security measures, even if they cause minor inconveniences. Cybersecurity and autonomous ransomware protection have significantly improved management's peace of mind. Previously, fine-tuning access controls were necessary to prevent unauthorized actions. Now, additional safeguards protect end users from unintentional mistakes caused by external influences. These safeguards act like bumpers in a bowling alley, preventing significant harm unless we make a mistake and allow it. This reassurance lets us focus on our work without worrying about phishing attacks or other security breaches.
What is most valuable?
The NetApp technology that has delivered the most value to our organization is FabricPool. FabricPool was a game-changer for us because we previously had a large investment in Nearline SaaS drives on the PaaS 8200 platform. This platform was good at scaling horizontally and working as a hybrid storage model with flash fronting and flash pools for reads and writes, tearing down to disk afterward as needed. FabricPool on the A-series platform allowed us to consolidate six cabinets of gear into two.
With the NAS itself, we have our block array that cascades everything down to the FabricPool, which we've distributed throughout the data center. This means it doesn't have to live in the same dedicated cabinets or even the same row. Our data center operations team is happy because I told them they can put it anywhere as long as it has the necessary connectivity and power. This flexibility allows us to distribute storage more equitably and evenly. Everything gets prioritized on our flash tier. After 30 days of being cold which is common in a hospital setting, data gets deprioritized down to cheaper storage, going from dollars per gig to pennies per gig. The initial investment in power was significant, but where previously it was a premium for us to offer flash to our end-users, now I can offer it to everyone. FabricPool tears off data after users are done editing in their scratch space, and after 30 days, it moves to the cold tier, saving the organization money. We've gone from maybe 60 terabytes of flash to over 400, and half of it sits available for scalable storage. Previously, storage allocation was rigid, but now everyone gets flash unless their workload has absolutely no need for it.
This has made everyone happier because they no longer have to complain about slow home directories or other performance issues.
What needs improvement?
One of the challenges we face with NetApp is identifying bottlenecks in the systems they integrate with. For example, we had a persistent issue with buffer credits, where a card in a UCSFI was causing slowdowns due to its design limitations. This microphone analogy illustrates how a single component can hinder the system even with fast storage and computing. We are generating two billion buffer credit issues every 12 hours. Identifying and resolving this took nine months and involved replacing seven cards. While NetApp's Cloud Insights initially identified the issue, its high $150,000 per year cost made it unsustainable. This highlights the need for a more affordable solution to monitor the entire ecosystem, as relying on vendor analysis for isolated incidents is time-consuming. Ultimately, having comprehensive and cost-effective monitoring would save significant time and resources.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NetApp products for almost 15 years.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When we first invested in NAS workloads around six or seven years ago, we were hiring a lot of people. We had considered pairing NAS and Block in one purchase and looked at HP and 3PAR who isn't a player anymore. We made a small investment in Nimble. Before Dell's acquisition, we were a large EMC shop, but they were monolithic, hard to scale, and slow. Extreme IO caused us panic when we realized we couldn't upgrade the small nodes, forcing complete replacements for capacity increases. It felt like a trap. My prior NetApp experience and my manager's knowledge contrasted this; with NetApp, we could add more until reaching system limits, not forcing a complete repurchase. It allowed organic growth and scaling. This has proven true, winning over skeptical colleagues who now agree it's a no-brainer.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate NetApp AFF a ten out of ten. It's a product that keeps us coming back, and I've been managing NetApp products on and off for almost 15 years. It's grown and matured significantly but has never lost its core fundamentals: ease of management, support, and flexibility within our data center. While other products might offer bleeding-edge speed, they can be challenging to manage or incredibly expensive. NetApp AFF remains manageable and relatively affordable. The first company I worked for chose NetApp because it was cost-effective and reliable and served them well. In my experience, NetApp AFF has always been a dependable and high-functioning solution.
We plan to expand our use of the solution in the future. We're currently considering NetApp to support our backup solution. We use Commvault for backup for VMware and most other systems not on the NAS. As a result, we're investigating new E series deployments for their stability and hardening them significantly or using NetApp C series ASAs and backing up Commvault with those. We expect these changes to result in greater resiliency, reliability, and scalability, especially with the C series. It's not just about backing up data; almost every backup vendor can do that well. T...
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2561010 from
Has good management and solution consolidation with room to expand
What is our primary use case?
NetApp allowed us to refresh our old systems with the new NetApp platforms. It allowed us to increase our capacity, our performance all over, and we are looking forward to utilizing more products in the future.
How has it helped my organization?
The ATL process, or the authorized-to-operate process, has been beneficial to the organization.
What is most valuable?
The ONTAP management software gave us the most beneficial bang for our buck. It allows our operation teams to manage the systems more easily than our previous tech solution.
The mirroring of two different sites is great. We're huge on that. We were not able to easily get that done with our previous solution. Using ONTAP and their SnapMirror technology allowed us to easily utilize their advantages in that space.
We want to consolidate under one solution. It'll be easier if we just had all of one product. That's what we're looking forward to.
What needs improvement?
They should just keep building on what they currently have. If they can continue to make it easier and more efficient and listen to customer feedback or do anything to automate the process will help a lot.
We're just getting into the solution and building on it. I can't say what needs to be improved.
Once we fully flesh out all of its capabilities, we will probably be able to provide some proper feedback.
Maybe more integration with other tech vendors and products, such as hypervisors. I know they're working well with Microsoft and VMware. However, they could integrate with more. If they can integrate more, it would be better.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We do have plans to expand in the future. We plan to continue to spread the solution across our sites where we need it the most. Hopefully, we'll have an all-in-one solution rather than having multiple storage solutions across our enterprise.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
There's no competing option for us. We are a little bit on the budget side. This solution was able to deliver what we needed as far as requirements within our budget. Previously, we had Dell, and we're moving on to NetApp across the whole enterprise.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
In the future, we might look at something else depending on our use cases and requirements. As of right now, this solution is the one.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
The evolving cybersecurity landscape and proliferation of AI have been influencing our technology decisions a lot recently. We just recently made a commitment to AI in the space.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jermaine Mims from
The solution has sped up delivery for our virtual environment
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp has sped up delivery for our virtual environment. It's been a great solution. Our customers have been amazed and overjoyed with the performance of our virtual environment, which uses VDI for virtual desktops and VMware for our virtual host servers. Everything is working seamlessly.
We plan to expand our use of NetApp solutions, and we're already in talks about this. We will be looking at the new ASA products they just released to see if they're more suitable for us than the C-series and what the cost is. We would love to have flash storage, but we'll see how much that costs.
A Flash environment would be great. We still have some spinning disk storage, and we hope to get rid of those completely and go all SSD. So we're looking for that to be within our budget
What is most valuable?
The NetApp C-Series storage soutions are the most valuable to us. I would rate them 8.5 out of 10.
What needs improvement?
Customer support is a hot-button issue, so we definitely need better customer support. We get some support from our vendor that helps. If the C-Series had a more user-friendly GUI, that would help us get our LUNs built and data storage connected faster.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've been with NetApp for years. We considered switching to HPE Nimble Storage, but we decided to stay with NetApp and upgrade our environment to the C-Series. With NetApp, support has been a pain point, but the price and warranty costs are perfect for our budget.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
NetApp is offered at a reasonable price point, so it has saved us money. Our primary goal is to keep our costs low. We're hoping that the next line of products will include a more budget-friendly option.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp solutions 8.5 out of 10. Improving support would increase the rating. They could also enhance and streamline the GUI to make management more efficient.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.Would like to remain completely anonymous
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Madhusudan Srinivasmurthy from
Saves us a lot of time, and the administration is simpler
How has it helped my organization?
I work in healthcare, so we store a lot of data on-prem and in the cloud. We are using multiple vendors and platforms. ONTAP was an excellent choice because everything is integrated. We haven't gotten into the AI features, but the security is pretty good.
What is most valuable?
NetApp's Integration with AWS has helped us because we had a tough time transferring data when we used an ONTAP competitor as our storage partner. They don't have integration with AWS tools, so we had to figure it out on our own.
ONTAP has built-in integration and allows us to replicate a copy to our second data center. Everything is in one channel. It's possible without the technology, but it's more time-consuming. NetApp saves us a lot of time, and the administration is simpler.
What needs improvement?
NetApp's support could improve.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had Dell EMC. Dell EMC was good initially, but their customer support isn't so great.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp 10 out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560899 from
The solution helps us get the fastest output
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is for media infrastructure. NetApp is our backbone. It's the primary storage we use.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp helps us get the fastest output. It's a work in progress. We plan to use NetApp for primary storage and as a global file system.
What is most valuable?
We had a 200 series, and now we have a 400. We plan to upgrade to a 90. I hope a 90 will provide a better, faster solution.
What needs improvement?
NetApp is shifting to the cloud and adopting AI, but it is not improving its core technology to deliver faster storage. We're still waiting to see if it improves speed with solutions like the 90 series.
Another challenge is that NetApp uses a cluster switch for Cisco. The partnership with Cisco is challenging for us as customers. If something goes wrong on the switch side, NetApp and Cisco pass the ball back and forth. That needs to be streamlined between NetApp and Cisco for any issues, especially for deployment and the rules that are running.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had Pure Storage. I'm not the decision-maker at my company, so I wasn't involved in the decision and don't know why they switched solutions. I believe NetApp was faster. Now, NetApp is catching up in the game, and they're trying to get a faster NVMe drive solution.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp storage solutions eight out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ian Rousom from
Flexible with great support and high-speed multi-protocol storage
What is our primary use case?
I work in the defense industry. We have lots of data silos, more than there are colors of paint in the paint store. Trying to get people to agree on how and if they can combine those and how they can share them easily and securely is a big challenge. The solution has an architecture that emphasizes consistency above all else, and that's why they're successful. That's why, as an architect, I've been successful in convincing somebody to go ahead and buy it, consume it. They find not just performance or capacity improvements. They find operational improvements in ease of accessing the data, how consistently people can find what they're looking for quickly, and how they can integrate it with their applications. They provide not just storage. They provide a real solution.
How has it helped my organization?
In some cases, we design systems that have to go in strange places. They might have to go to space. They might have to go underwater. Having all manner of different data come into a system sometimes is not well understood. Is it block? Is it file? Is it something else? This solution has all of those services no matter what scale you buy. The result is that we don't have to wait until the customer knows what their data mix would be. We have a comprehensive solution that could accommodate anything. We can fly it earlier and get them in the air testing and prototyping much faster than they could have with other solutions. Customers have been very successful in places that probably no one else could have been thanks to the solution's consistency.
What is most valuable?
Keystone offers flexible consumption models that go beyond just how much capacity at such and such a speed, et cetera. We don't always know what the profile of that data will be. However, if we can quickly agree on terms that meet our needs and make NetApp still reasonably profitable, we can confidently deploy, see how things go and adjust. That kind of service delivery model, that customer service model has sped things up and made contract negotiations much easier. It frankly made the owners of the system more confident.
We've experienced faster time to market. It's hard for us to find and retain infrastructure staff. We're in a business where the firm fixed price contract reigns supreme, and so we can't always just offer someone more money. However, if they can dedicate their time to learning one company's portfolio and learning it really well, but be useful in a bunch of different places, they will do well. We've seen that in a lot of different places. We've been able to hire younger people and retain them, moving them from program to program based on their understanding of the solution its skill set, and its portability.
It's been useful for high-speed multi-protocol storage in places with ever-increasing density. We have limits on how much power and cooling and rack space we have, and yet they've delivered every time.
We needed a storage company that had mastery of multi-protocol, and this solution stands out. They especially stand out as a secure provider. We require solutions that we can run ourselves, that we can air gap since so much of what we do is either classified or very sensitive or cannot live in a public ecosystem.
For us, the issue consuming AI has been the trust of the models given to us by third parties. We can't necessarily trust their provenance, what fed them, what originally trained them, or what gave them their worldview, for lack of a better term. We can't simply just trust that at face value since we know nothing about where it came from or what inferences it might make. We must assume that some AI inferences were made deliberately to damage or hurt national security systems. So the models that we start with tend to be very, very primitive, crude, and not well trained, so we have to train them much longer and not always with the availability of cloud that has inexhaustible capacity. A partner who understands this and provides consistency at all scales is very important.
What needs improvement?
We have to work with technology that we can deploy ourselves, run where we decide, and not necessarily anywhere, and that can survive for long periods of time disconnected from a cloud. For us, that's probably been one of the bigger cybersecurity challenges: how do we maintain security, maintain updates, patches, profiles, policies, and all that stuff without subscribing to a service from your friendly neighborhood cloud provider? This product does a better-than-average job of that.
How are customer service and support?
They are continuing to offer fanatically good support. That is what's always cemented in my mind why the solution is positioned as a leader. They support people in organizations and missions in ways that others don't or don't necessarily have to.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked at companies like Hitachi, Dell, and EMC, to name just a few. The reason this solution was chosen was the software feature set. We needed flexibility in how things were stored, but with common operations and a common set of AFF, rather than segmented, siloed solutions. Some of those other companies are getting better and better at that. They've streamlined their product lines. They have one model for how they deploy everything. That said, it's obvious where that has meant the lowest common denominator is all that they can offer.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. They are competitive. I wouldn't give anyone in this industry a ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Michael Duke from
Provides ease of data access and a single pane of glass to manage our multisite storage infrastructure
How has it helped my organization?
The ease of data access has enabled faster service delivery for customers. It is easy to get whatever data they like quickly across sites. That has made it much easier for us, but it is also quicker and easier for them to request things, and then they can get what they need.
We have one pane of glass. We do not have to waste a bunch of time. We can streamline even simple things like logging into individual applications or individual NetApp hardware. We can automate things and govern who has access to what, not only on the application and software side but also on the hardware side, and I love that. It keeps everything secure.
This week at NetApp INSIGHT has been great because it has offered a lot of additional information on things that we are looking into. We are new to NetApp, so ONTAP has been the thing that delivered the most value to our organization and changed things for us. Based on where we came from, it is a ten out of ten. Based on where we may be able to go with it, in terms of the expandability of the feature set and the vision that we have been hearing about this week, it is definitely a nine or maybe a ten.
We would not have been able to have the data access and the ability to control it the way we needed without this technology. We have multiple ways of access. We have flexibility and backup and disaster recovery opportunities for replication that we did not have before. That really helped.
We wanted data security through our NetApp technology investments. We wanted the ability to govern multiple pieces of hardware across multiple sites through a single pane of glass. We wanted to get very granular with what groups get what and all that. There is now a significantly easier way to handle all of that. We can do that more quickly for our business.
Previously, we were pretty limited in disaster recovery, backup solutions, and things like that. Snapshots and other features have dramatically improved our situation.
When it comes to AI, at this point, you cannot get away from AI. You are being shoved into it quickly. NetApp has allowed us to adapt to that. The journey is accelerating, and we are able to adapt much more quickly to it.
We are able to expand our flexibility in both data access and data security. It will allow the business to be freer to request things from us and to innovate in their space. They are free from having to worry about whether we have the technology to handle that or whether we have the expertise to handle that.
What is most valuable?
It provides simplicity. Previously, there was not any kind of unified structure to our multisite storage infrastructure. We now have multiple sites where we have been able to install NetApp, and through ONTAP and BlueXP, control all of them from one pane of glass, which has been very powerful for us.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We talked to almost everyone such as Dell EMC and Pure Storage. NetApp was the only one we found to be cost-effective, which obviously was a huge concern, and it also had the unified ability. The feature set was just head and shoulders above what we saw.
We are not a huge company, but we are big enough. We have lots of sites in the US and also in Europe. The ability to make that feel smaller was a big deal for us.
What other advice do I have?
We have plans to expand how we use this solution in the future. There is a ton of growth opportunity in terms of how we technically use the product, and it is also exciting how our clients will experience the speed and access security in their actual jobs.
We hear a lot about ransomware, security, early detection, and proactivity. That is the space where we are focused because it feels that we are playing catch up constantly on that.
Our upcoming investments will be prioritized around data storage in general, but cybersecurity is right up against it. They go hand in hand. Our clients are asking for more and more transparency about how we are protecting their data while also serving them well.
I would rate the solution a ten out of ten. I hope the same vision will continue.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2560449 from
Gives us the performance, reliability, and uptime that our customers demand
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp helps streamline our internal operations. I come from a background as a VMware administrator. For me, SnapCenter alone is a great product for when something goes wrong with a virtual machine, even though we have a separate data protection solution besides that. The speed at which you can recover from when it is all snapshot-based is good. You do not have to wait for copies across the network. It is a real game changer in a situation where we tried to do an upgrade but that did not go well and now that needs to be reverted back to where we were an hour ago. Usually, in 30 seconds, we get that VM back up and running. It makes the recovery quick. Even though we have another solution, which is also pretty fast, being able to take advantage of those logical operations inside the array is a real game-changer performance. The data reduction that we get is fantastic because some of our applications have so many copies of different versions as they are going through different levels of testing and development. Being able to deduplicate against each other saves a lot of the footprint.
The All Flash series in general has delivered the most value to our organization. That took care of the daily performance issues that we had. When I started with the company, there would be overhead announcements on the PA that some of our internal systems were running slow and asked people to stop using them for a little bit while they caught up. All of those went away overnight when we switched to the All Flash FAS solution. There has not been any performance issue with storage so far. It has been eight years. Our account exec says that if we go to BlueXP or Cloud Insights, we can look at all the performance data. I never go ahead and look at it because our latency is under a millisecond all the time, so all of our applications are happy. Our developers are happy. Our internal customers are happy. I do not spend a lot of time worrying about performance anymore because we just have it.
I would rate this technology a solid eight out of ten. I only have one criticism, which I have also shared with my account exec in the past, but it is not a strong criticism. I understood 7-mode very well back in the day. It was a pretty simple concept. When you are making a leap from there to cluster data ONTAP, there are so many more interfaces, and I have so much more going on in what I do in my job. It is like I do not have quite the mental map in my head of how the whole system works as I used to. Fortunately, we have a great partner we work with. They have helped us for over a decade. They are now CDW, but they used to be Sirius previously. They have a couple of great resources with whom we have worked for a long time. They have helped build our environment over the years, and they are always happy to answer our call if we call them. So, for me, that counterbalances some of that complexity. I do not understand it at the level that I would like to because I do not have the time to dig into and understand all the lifts versus the physical interfaces versus all of the networking that goes on in there. However, I can always call our partner that we work with, or even text them. They will answer my call even if it is eight o'clock on a Friday night and help us out. It is not that the solution does not work for us. It is just that I used to know how 7-mode works so much better just because it was simpler, but I understand that some of that complexity comes as a result of the flexibility and the power and the cluster data ONTAP unlocks. We can have multiple SVMs and the ability to have all these different identities and tenants contained inside of one platform, which we could not do with the 7-mode previously.
Because of the All Flash technology, we do not have any performance issues. Another benefit that we are seeing is the reduction in footprint when we replace the old spinning disk system. It was a rack and a half of a disk. The A700 that we are about to load in there is going to be 5U or 8U. It is really small. Especially, at the Colo facility where our DR site is, we pay by the rack. That saves us money every month on a reduced footprint. I cannot say how much money it saves, but I know it also saves us the power bill. Flash is so much more energy efficient. We do not have that cooling load and power load, and then, we obviously have the performance. Performance is not a concern that we have anymore.
A couple of years ago, we decided to make an investment in hardening. It is a little bit stronger against ransomware. We made the commitment to purchase an additional FAS 8300, and we are using SnapLock technology to take daily snapshots of our environment and send them over to that separate FAS 8300, which is in a separate authentication domain using the Cyber Vault concept. All immutable snapshots are over there. We have hardened our primary arrays too with MFA technology and everything else. If we are ever attacked or a victim of a ransomware attack for some reason, we at least have another copy locked away immediately that goes back several months in that other environment. Even if we lose some short-term data, we will still have more long-term copies of our data to go back to. That was another big chunk of spending for an array that does not do anything in terms of production. It just sits there. We hope we never need it, but at the same time, it is nice having that peace of mind that we have done the immutable technology in the NetApp's technologies, and we have done immutable technology inside our Cohesity backup product as well. We have two levels of immutable copies of our data, so we are fairly confident that we will be able to recover something.
What is most valuable?
It gives us the performance we need and the reliability we need to make sure that our systems have the uptime that our internal customers demand. It has been a very reliable solution for us. Especially since we have moved to the All Flash series, we have not had a single performance-related issue.
What needs improvement?
When we were going through all the MFA hardening and the anti-ransomware setup, I gave some feedback to our executive. The MFA process for getting that set up on the AFF systems was cumbersome compared to some of our other systems. With one of our systems, there was a little QR code. We could point our phone at it and get our MFA going. We did a lot more heavy lifting to get that going on the NetApp side. This is clearly a technology that exists and just needs to be prioritized by the development staff. Given how sensitive we are to ransomware, they should do everything to make it almost a no-brainer for every admin to get those kinds of protections turned on. This is something that should be prioritized. We have got it working now, but we could have done it a lot sooner if it was easier for us to do that.
For how long have I used the solution?
I got my first NetApp array in 2008 or 2009. So, it has been 15 years.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
When I was hired at the company nine years ago, we had what was the IBM N Series, which was like IBM's relationship with NetApp. It was a spinning disk system that was way past its prime. It had been pushed so far. It needed to be replaced. The CPUs were at the point where we could not enable any of the data reduction features like deduplication or compression, so we did an overhaul of all that in 2016 and moved to the 8040s. That was the first AFF flash series that we went to. Since then, we have had zero issues with performance. It has been a great platform for us.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Back in 2016, we were looking at what was then Dell's Compellent line, which does not exist anymore. That was one that we considered.
One of the other technologies from NetApp that we have leveraged and invested a lot in is SnapLock. We use it when we receive correspondence or paperwork from our customers. If you fill out a form saying that you wish to change the beneficiary of your life insurance, that gets scanned in and fed into our workflow product. It then gets written out to a SnapLock volume where it is made immutable after 24 hours. If there is ever a point down the line when somebody passes away, and their policy is to be paid out, and there is a dispute over who their beneficiary was, we can guarantee that when that form was entered and written out there, it was not changed. It has been immutable since that time. We do not have the ability to change that form even if we want to because we have locked it down. That is the kind of thing that makes our legal department sleep a lot easier at night because we know that once the data has been written, it cannot be changed. We can stand behind that and work well if we need to. Fortunately, it does not usually come to that, but if it does, we know that we have got that data there to guarantee the outcome.
SnapLock was one of the reasons why we chose NetApp. We were very happy with this technology. It works very well. The other was the savings through the efficiency of the deduplication and compression. That is something that has only gotten better over time. It used to be only at the volume level, and now, it is at the aggregate level. All those kinds of greater efficiencies allow us to store more data in a smaller footprint, and it is just a better way of doing business.
The cost was definitely a part of the decision-making process. Our partner was another reason. Our partner at the time was Sirius. We were very comfortable with them. We are very happy with the level of service we get. Those were the two greatest reasons. We also have a very good relationship with our a...
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Rodney Kerley from
Centralized management with good storage and performance
What is most valuable?
It's a three-tier architecture and it's separated. It runs over the network instead of hyperconverged infrastructure. It sells itself since it's centralized management. Three-tier is completely separated away from it. With centralized management, you actually have pitfalls where speeds and read/write operations are all slower. Having it separate and having a dedicated storage area network or a dedicated network attached storage, for us, just worked better. It's been faster.
What needs improvement?
In terms of improvements, they could have a couple more things that are usually done through the command line.
I see that they're making more improvements by adding things like SnapMirror to ONTAP Systems Manager, so maybe some more features in that area would be helpful.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We do plan to expand. We're going to purchase a few 250s for some off-site backups in our secondary location, and that's kind of where we're at right now. With the next technology, we're actually getting Veeam. It integrates perfectly as a backup and replication system with NetApp. Being able to use an old NetApp as essentially a target for our backups is going to work perfectly. That's the next step for us.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had Nutanix and VMware vSAN. We had sit downs and meet and greets with Pure Storage as well. A lot of them were very expensive, and we knew how Nutanix was operating. They give you everything upfront, and then you have to pay extra for the nodes. So the pricing models weren't as transparent.
The scalability of this solution fit our needs and was better. Performance was the biggest factor in our decision-making.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Data storage and optimization are going to be our biggest focus next. We've had problems with it in the past, and we're able to fix those issues with the solutions that we're purchasing.
Our company is really into growth and innovation in general, and they're always looking for new ways to do something better. Previously, we have been doing things not to the best of our ability. Being able to purchase new hardware, new software, and have solutions architects come in and look at what we've got going on, it just makes sense to to go in that direction as well.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ravi-Reddy from
It's an excellent technology that delivers high performance for our workloads
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp's performance in India is excellent. I have been in this industry for 26 years. The support and services are also excellent. My downtime is minimal. The support for their solutions is superb. Years ago, we all used tape drive backup. We approached NetApp about an alternative, and they offered a good ROI compared to what we used to use.
It was a game-changer for Salesforce. We also use NetApp as object storage for Rubrik. We've streamlined many things in those areas. We use many workflows, and the performance is good.
NetApp has improved our performance based on our business requirements and streamlined our production activity. I rate NetApp's technology 10 out of 10. Availability and performance are key areas in which NetApp has improved us as an organization. It raises our performance by two or three times and provides additional space.
What is most valuable?
NetApp's All-Flash storage solution has delivered the most value for our company. All-Flash is an excellent technology that delivers high performance for our workloads. We are happy with that.
What needs improvement?
NetApp could improve its security and AI features. In the latest version, I would like to see some ransomware protection.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have worked with NetApp solutions for 26 years.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The significant difference between NetApp and competitors is support, price, and performance, which are all excellent.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the NetApp solution 10 out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-10-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
ParthaBhattacharyya from
Supports many features that can be switched on or off as necessary
What is our primary use case?
This is a storage solution.
What is most valuable?
I like that you can switch protocols and features on and off, depending on how I architect my domain. From the business side of things, it supports file formatting, the main protocols, and the hot swapping of disks and features.
What needs improvement?
This is an expensive solution that could be cheaper.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this product for several years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If it's a data center enterprise-fed product, it is scalable. Some of the base models are not scalable, but these products are generally scalable.
How was the initial setup?
Deployment time depends on the size of the organization. If you have engineers, the implementation can be done in-house.
What other advice do I have?
It's important to ensure that your use cases are suitable for the product prior to investing in the purchase of it. I recommend this solution and rate it eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-04-02T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Eldad Ohana from
Reliable with a good FlexClone feature and useful CLI
What is our primary use case?
The solution is primarily used for various functionality. We separate storage from other companies.
What is most valuable?
I like the FlexClone feature.
The CLI, the Power Shell, for NetApp is very good. You can do everything from the Command Line.
Storage is very reliable. You don't have to do much maintenance.
It is stable.
What needs improvement?
It is very limited in terms of storage. You can grow storage only ten times more. You have a limit in terms of how much you can expand storage. It sounds like a lot. However, over the years, as you grow, it may be smaller than you think. You really need to plan for the future. I'm not sure if this is being fixed or not.
The solution is expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. I'd rate the stability ten out of ten. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't freeze. Once or twice we did have a crash. However, it rarely is disrupted. We were able to recover everything.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is limited. You need to really plan for what you need. If you have it for a long time, you can run into issues if you need to extend beyond your means. It can be very difficult to expand.
Generally, if you size properly, you can buy more shells.
It is very expensive to grow.
We have about 60 people using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
We only opened one serious case with NetApp. Typically, we have another company that troubleshoots for us. They would be the ones that would open a ticket.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used to use Dell PowerStore. It is very simple to set up. It's better for medium-sized companies that are pretty straightforward.
We previously used HP around 16 or 17 years ago. I cannot recall why we switched to NetApp.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup has a moderate amount of difficulty. Dell PowerSTore is easier to set up. This is not difficult. However, it's not too complex. You just need to do more work in order to properly use the solution.
I cannot recall what the deployment process was, as it was a long time ago. The last time we did a deployment, it took two weeks. It was a special installation, and we have less storage capacity than expected, which caused issues. We had to install it twice.
We only require minimal staff for deployment and maintenance. There isn't too much maintenance as you just configure it how you want and you leave it. Typically, the product is very reliable so it doesn't require attention.
What about the implementation team?
We had a company that helped us implement the solution and handle any troubleshooting.
What was our ROI?
We have witnessed an ROI. It is worth the price we pay for it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is expensive. It is a perpetual license. You do not have to pay for it monthly or yearly.
What other advice do I have?
This is the latest version of the solution.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It is a very good product.
I would advise those who want to use the solution to make sure they have a good budget. If they need to manage many environments, it's a very, very good option. It's great for enterprises.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-03-31T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
RaffaeleBrescia from
Good one-point central management solution and easy to manage
What is our primary use case?
It is used for separating locations from a network cluster and also to store the data and create a backup on another location for bigger companies.
What is most valuable?
NetApp is like a one-point central management. For example, one can put everything on the right version and control the whole environment from one software solution. It's easy to have an insight into monitoring and stuff. The solution is easy to manage.
What needs improvement?
The user interface should be more user-friendly and configuration could be easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NetApp AFF for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a fairly stable solution. There is rarely a problem and everything runs fine.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a fairly scalable solution, though some things are more easily scalable than others but the possibilities are endless. Presently, sixty customers are working on the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support team of NetApp is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not very simple. As I always use the CLI for configuration, it is easy. But the nodes' and cluster configuration can also be done with GUI.
The solution is deployed by connecting everything in different locations and then implementing the solution that will be sold to customers. The deployment is done by three engineers, which include two senior engineers and myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The customers need to pay for the license.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend NetApp to people with a budget and looking for a simple solution for a small environment. But for complex environments, NetApp can be an overkill.
I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-04-26T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Marcel Van As from
Easy to use and reliable solution
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to host the system data for VMs.
What is most valuable?
The solution's most valuable features are pricing and speed.
What needs improvement?
They should improve the solution's features for disaster recovery. Also, they should provide easier integration with multiple systems.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for one and a half years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 1500 solution users in our organization. It is a scalable product.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's customer service is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have worked with HP in the past. In comparison, NetApp has various protocols like NFS and CIFS. Also, it is much easier to use and integrate than HP.
How was the initial setup?
The solution was easy to deploy and took half a day to complete.
What about the implementation team?
Initially, I implemented the solution myself. Later, I took help from a reseller to review it. Also, two or three executives are required to maintain the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The additional license for the solution costs 45k. It is relatively cheap compared to other vendors.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution to others and rate it as nine. It is very stable, reliable, and cost-effective.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-04-26T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
VinceVitro from
Scales well, straightforward deployment, but SAN functionality could improve
What is our primary use case?
We are using NetApp AFF primarily for file servers.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp AFF has helped our organization because they're reliable, and the file shares are available to everyone all the time.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of NetApp AFF is the reputation of the company.
What needs improvement?
NetApp AFF could improve SAN storage because it feels as if it was not put together at the beginning, it functions as an afterthought. Additionally, the cloud features could be more mature.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used NetApp AFF (All Flash FAS) within the past 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of NetApp AFF an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have plans to increase our usage of the solution in the future.
I rate the scalability of NetApp AFF a seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the support of NetApp AFF a seven out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of NetApp AFF is straightforward.
What was our ROI?
NetApp AFF is a good investment, but it is expensive.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
NetApp AFF is an expensive solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution for NAS but not for SAN.
I rate NetApp AFF a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-04-30T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304684 from
Very fast and offers great technical support
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for AFF is for databases.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of AFF are its speed and the responsive support from NetApp.
What needs improvement?
The only downside to NetApp AFF is its price.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NetApp AFF for eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of performance and stability, AFF is good for our current needs. However, if we require higher performance, we may need to invest in new hardware.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
NetApp AFF scales well for our needs. We can continuously add more storage and capacity to expand the system, which has been a viable approach for us.
How are customer service and support?
The support is great. When issues arise, the support team quickly addresses our questions and resolves problems efficiently. I would rate the support as a nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Hitachi, but it is very slow.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of NetApp availability can be considered medium difficulty. If you have experience with NetApp systems, it is relatively easy to medium in complexity. However, if you have never installed such a system before, it can be quite challenging.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
NetApp can be expensive. It is worth noting that the cost isn't just in the hardware but also in the support, which can be a significant portion of the overall expense.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate NetApp AFF as a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-14T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Eric Kim from
Boosts performance for tasks like general workloads, virtualized workloads, and high-performance databases
How has it helped my organization?
I use AFF to boost performance for tasks like general workloads, virtualized workloads, and high-performance databases. It helps me manage costs while delivering better results in these areas.
Additionally, AFF has significantly simplified my infrastructure while maintaining high performance. It simplifies the infrastructure by allowing us to easily migrate and adjust workloads using SnapMirror based on our environment's needs.
With multiple clusters, it offers the flexibility to distribute workloads effectively and adapt to changing demands. AFF has also reduced support issues. Customers usually only complain about performance when it's a real problem, but with AFF's flash storage, we have had fewer complaints. When issues do come up, they are often related to other parts like the network, not the storage itself, which makes troubleshooting easier.
What is most valuable?
NetApp AFF's flash technology offers great performance. This feature has been my go-to for managing data and ensuring speed and reliability.
What needs improvement?
In terms of improvement, the support could be a little better but it has improved a lot.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NetApp for thirteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
NetApp AFF is very stable. I would give it a ten out of ten for stability.
How are customer service and support?
The support has been good, with responsive assistance, especially at higher tiers. However, there were some language and repetitive questions issues with the first-line support, but it improved as it escalated to higher levels. Having account managers has been beneficial.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy, similar to other NetApp FAS installations.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is a bit high, but it is worth it because we have fewer performance issues to deal with and it saves us time. Using multiple NetApp clusters also helps us move workloads as needed, which cuts costs.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate NetApp AFF as a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-14T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mangalam Amriish from
Helps reduce our operational latency, optimizes our costs, and reduces support issues
What is our primary use case?
We utilize NetApp AFF to deliver data to our users per our server and application requirements. My primary responsibilities lie within the data center, where I configure and manage user access.
The challenges we faced before implementing NetApp AFF were connection connectivity in our network, installations with current software, and upgrades.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp AFF simplifies our infrastructure while maintaining high performance. However, some applications require high I/O and performance, so we primarily use NetApp AFF for our critical business applications. For less demanding applications, we employ alternative cost-effective solutions.
The simplified infrastructure offered by NetApp AFF has been beneficial. Previously, we were using a different product that caused performance issues, particularly in terms of disk resources. Since switching to NetApp, we have experienced significant improvements.
NetApp AFF has helped reduce support issues. Our performance is now stable, using fewer resources, and there is no longer a queue of users waiting to log in. NetApp AFF has made a big difference.
It also reduced our operational latency by almost 40 percent with fewer issues and less downtime.
NetApp AFF has helped optimize our costs. It was a 15 to 20 percent difference from what we see now.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable aspect of NetApp AFF is the money it saves our organization.
What needs improvement?
The support documentation has room for improvement.
I believe offering a SaaS-based option for NetApp AFF would be a valuable addition, as cloud adoption continues to accelerate.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NetApp AFF for almost four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Up to now the stability of NetApp AFF has been perfect.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is easy to scale NetApp AFF.
How are customer service and support?
We have instant support which is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We migrated from Dell to NetApp AFF because of its better performance with our business-critical applications.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. We connect to the external screen and enter the basic admin information before we can start the deployment.
What was our ROI?
Adopting NetApp AFF has yielded a significant return on investment. It boasts a comprehensive suite of features that surpass those of other storage box solutions. These features include data protection, multi-sharing storage, regular snapshot retention, SSDs, and customized flash-based storage.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing NetApp AFF our architect evaluated many options including Dell.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate NetApp AFF nine out of ten.
NetApp AFF is the best flash storage solution and I fully recommend it.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:MSP
Date published: 2023-11-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304597 from
Helps simplify infrastructure while improving business performance
What is our primary use case?
We use NetApp AFF for daily maintenance. It's used to provision volumes for customers and other departments.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp AFF helps simplify infrastructure while improving business performance. Our databases and sensitive stuff are on all-flash arrays. Our team knows what to expect with all-flash, and we've been doing it for a while. We're happy with it.
We have fewer support issues because putting things on all-flash is much better. We still have to troubleshoot. That's always something we need to do. The speed of flash is always an advantage. Our customers are happy with it and don't complain too much.
What is most valuable?
We use the NFS and SIP protocols a lot. The NFS is the most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
The upgrade process could be a lot quicker, but it's still good as it is. The failovers and things like that are harder than expected.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used NetApp AFF for almost 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
NetApp AFF is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. We can add extra controllers and create clusters. It's very doable.
How are customer service and support?
I rate NetApp AFF support eight out of 10. It's excellent. We've had no issues.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had normal disk storage instead of flash. NetApp AFF offers much better performance. Higher throughput and less latency.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a return. Things are running better. It's less work for us, so it's good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
NetApp AFF seems to be fairly priced compared to other solutions like Oracle.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp AFF nine out of 10. It's an excellent product. Use it, and you'll be happy.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304795 from
Cost-effective and reliable
What is our primary use case?
I use NetApp AFF in our cloud service infrastructure to provide data storage and management for our customers.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp AFF has indeed improved our growing organization by providing stability and efficient IT maintenance. We have also found the product's quality to be excellent.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of NetApp AFF for us is its ability to manage multiple IP spaces for our customers in a shared environment. This is important because we offer VPN services, and this feature helps keep customer data separate and secure while ensuring our services work smoothly over the long term.
What needs improvement?
In terms of improvement, IO performance could use some enhancement. Additionally, I would like to see additional security-related features in NetApp AFF, particularly in the realm of ransomware protection.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with NetApp AFF for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
NetApp AFF is fairly scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate the support for NetApp AFF as average. It has been a mixed experience, with some good interactions and others not meeting our expectations.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used different storage solutions like EMC, HP, and others before making the switch to NetApp AFF.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment of NetApp AFF was a bit complex, mainly due to the extensive functionality it offers.
What other advice do I have?
NetApp AFF has helped reduce support issues related to performance tuning and troubleshooting. It has helped reduce operational costs and has proven to be cost-effective for our organization compared to other storage equipment from different vendors. It has also helped reduce our operational latency. Overall, I would rate NetApp AFF as a ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-05T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ashish_Shah from
Comes with data protection and has snapshot technology for backup
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution is data protection and snapshot technology for backup.
What needs improvement?
NetApp AFF needs to focus more on block storage. It has to focus on high-end, performance-driven applications.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the solution for more than five years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
NetApp AFF is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
NetApp AFF has good technical support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We chose NetApp AFF because it is flexible and reliable. It offers a unified storage system.
How was the initial setup?
NetApp AFF's deployment is straightforward. You can deploy it within half a day.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
NetApp AFF's pricing is competitive. It is not expensive or cheap. The tool's pricing is based on configurations and can cost around 150-160 dollars for 70 TB of storage.
What other advice do I have?
We recommend the solution to small, mid, and enterprise companies. I rate it an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-09-28T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304720 from
Faster data, simplified infrastructure, and easy to set up shares
What is our primary use case?
Its use cases include everything from high bandwidth to low latency, AI workloads based on NVMe drives, and all the way to our basic home directories and what I call common plop-and-drop drives for the teams.
The challenge that we were trying to address by implementing NetApp AFF was that we needed truly high-speed storage to feed the GPUs for AI/ML workloads. We also had the financial responsibility of being able to lower the QoS when we just needed basic storage rather than Pure high-performance storage.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp AFF has helped with faster data, and at the same time, we are able to work with our solutions team to set up FlexCache share so that we can more easily set up data pipelines and data life cycles. We can also integrate with our corporate systems for replication.
NetApp AFF has helped to simplify our infrastructure while still getting very high performance for our business-critical applications. The flexibility to keep everything on superfast NVMe but also tweak the QoS has allowed us to centralize more of our storage services. We need less rack space. We are using Keystone for financial responsibility. We have centralized and standardized a lot of our ITOps.
NetApp AFF has not helped to reduce support issues, such as performance-tuning and troubleshooting, because we have not had any issues yet that we had to take a look at, and I hope we do not.
NetApp AFF has definitely helped to reduce our operational latency. Especially with the speeds of the drives and the network links and the network topology that we are able to put together, for not just huge dense workloads, we are able to scale out horizontally so everyone can get the same speed.
NetApp AFF has not saved us much cost, but the Keystone model that we are able to run AFF in partnership with has helped to save costs. Instead of making those huge capital purchases where we may purchase 500 terabytes and not use it, the consumption-based model has allowed us to be flexible. It gives us that financial flexibility to say, "We want to experiment with this more. Add it on." We can also say, "We do not need it. Take it back, and give us that plug-and-play option."
What is most valuable?
The ease of use for setting up our basic shares such as NFS and CIFS is valuable. It takes a couple of clicks to set up things like object shares.
What needs improvement?
The ONTAP S3 implementation is not feature-complete as compared to StorageGRID. We had to move our lakeFS instance from ONTAP S3 based on AFF to StorageGRID.
For how long have I used the solution?
The lab that I am developing has used NetApp AFF and NetApp storage for about two years, but I know that our organization, in general, has been using NetApp for storage for a long time.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have not thought about it. It must be good because I have not had to think about it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Based on your current needs and based on your inter-cluster switches, you need more storage added in, and you are good to go. You can create new aggregates and SVMs, and you are good to go.
How are customer service and support?
The support is great. We have a dedicated team. I can work with our dedicated embedded professional services group. If it is a larger issue, I can send a message to our support ops engineer and get an answer right away, or even proactively.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
This lab is brand new, we started with NetApp AFF.
How was the initial setup?
I am a nerd at heart, so I worked with our professional services group to do the rack and stack. It was pretty straightforward. It was based on the idea of centralized controllers with expanded disk shares. We were able to work with our professional services consultant to get it set up in two days or so.
What was our ROI?
We were able to have those huge savings as our lab was being stood up, and now, as our usage increases, our cost increases, and as our usage decreases, our cost decreases. We have been able to see that trend match up with how we are using it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not evaluate other options because it is part of a centralized storage offering with our company. We wanted to keep everything on the same level for ease of use for purchasing, operations, shared ownership, and everything else.
In terms of using other NetApp solutions or services, we use less of NetApp Cloud Services, but we do use Cloud Volumes ONTAP. We also use SnapMirror and FlexCache for a lot of the intra or inter-site capabilities.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate NetApp AFF a 10 out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-20T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1232973 from
It's still the best solution for SAP or other databases
What is our primary use case?
Our IT department has two AFF clusters, but we also install them for our customers. We deploy them for tier-one use cases, like virtual machines, databases, and anything that needs fast, hot data.
We've recently started using NetApp's cloud solutions, but our German customers are still reluctant because of the security, data management, GDPR, etc. Now, we have our cloud that we can sell to customers with Meta products. Cloud backup and cloud tiering are the two primary ones, but we also sell Cloud Insights to some customers. Customers need backup services, but they often lack a separate data center where they can store their backups. The cloud is the most natural way to store the backup.
How has it helped my organization?
Our customers have latency issues or requirements for very low-latency applications. This is the problem they are addressing with AFF because it's the fastest system they can get. It's still the best solution for SAP or other databases.
We have checked other flash systems from different vendors, and the AFF is still the best because of the multi-protocol support, for example. Others only do block or file services in a very basic way. AFF does everything in one box. Now, with type 1, you don't even need to license the specific features. You can start with block storage and move to file later or the other way around. That's a plus for all customers.
What is most valuable?
I'm from Germany, so we have lots of metro clusters. The ability to have two sides that are redundant across hundreds or thousands of kilometers is critical for our customers. We have several hundred customers with metro cluster systems, so that is one of the best features.
Our customers need reliability for the data. They don't want the data to go down if something happens to the data center. They need synchronous replication to another location, and the metro cluster is the only solution that works in these scenarios involving distances of 100 or 200 kilometers.
What needs improvement?
Feature-wise, AFF is already a top-tier system. I think that sometimes, the price is an issue for some customers. It isn't so much of a problem now that there is the C Series and the ASA, both of which are a little better price-wise. That's not much of an issue anymore. In the past, that was a concern because not everyone needed a high-performance system for every workload. Some customers only required that level of performance for a small segment of their workloads, but they still needed to buy a bigger system. We can address that issue with the C Series.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have used NetApp AFF since it came out. My company has been a NetApp partner since 2004, and we were using the FAS systems before, but we started selling AFF to our customers as soon as it was introduced.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
NetApp AFF is rock-solid. The stability and performance are top-notch. It's hard to recall a broken NetApp. In 20 years, we've installed more than a thousand base systems, and we've never had user data corruption.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good because it can scale out a cluster of up to 24 nodes. Usually, our customers only have a two-node cluster, so scalability is not so much of an issue with us.
How are customer service and support?
I rate NetApp support seven out of 10. It depends on who you get. You can get unlucky. We usually do the first-level support ourselves because we are a partner. Sometimes, NetApp support could be better. When the customers escalate, it can feel like everything's starting from scratch. These are rare cases. I'm not directly involved in support, but that's what I hear when something doesn't work.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
We've been installing fast-flash systems for 20 years, so I'm highly experienced with them. The complexity of the deployment depends on the customer's environment. Some storage systems from other competitors might be easier for the customers, but we are a service provider, so we do the installation and train the engineers. From the end customer's perspective, it doesn't matter if the system is easy or not because they don't need to install the system.
We do the training, installation, and heavy lifting. The system is a bit more complicated to install compared to other competitors. We can offset this because we are highly trained and have all the experience required.
What was our ROI?
I'm not familiar with the financial and operational details. I'm more of a technical guy. However, our customers wouldn't buy these products if they didn't see a reduction in TCO.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp AFF nine out of 10.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-11-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304801 from
Significantly reduces latency, optimizes data management, and provides cost savings for businesses
What is our primary use case?
I use it primarily as a database storage solution, supporting various applications such as Oracle, VMware, and NFS SAN. It serves as a versatile storage platform for multiple use cases.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp AFF has been highly beneficial for our organization as it caters to the growing demands of applications that require faster performance.
Flash storage significantly enhances the administrator's role and contributes to lower latency, with some applications now running at sub-millisecond speeds, reducing overnight support calls.
Compared to our previous setup with SATA and SAS, the transition to all-flash storage has been remarkable.
This transition has had a positive impact on our operations by significantly reducing the need for cooling and power resources. The reduced cooling requirements have opened up more space for future expansion.
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable aspects is its robust data management features, such as compression, deduplication, and in-line data optimization. These features provide immediate storage efficiency gains without requiring additional post-processing.
Furthermore, the ONTAP feature intelligently monitors volume efficiency and can automatically adjust or pause in-line efficiency processes when suboptimal performance is detected. This automation prevents resource wastage and ensures a more efficient and streamlined process, although manual adjustments remain an option.
What needs improvement?
It would be valuable to have more visibility and control options. Instead of having everything enabled by default, it would be helpful to be able to activate specific features as needed selectively. This would enable the monitoring of data efficiency in real-time without manual intervention.
A graphical user interface displaying efficiency metrics, such as compression and deduplication rates, would be a great addition. This way, I could easily access this information without resorting to command-line operations and screenshots, streamlining the process.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using NetApp AFF for about four years, but before that, I had a professional service background. In total, I have approximately eight years of experience.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability features are excellent.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scaling is straightforward, and we are pleased with the process.
How are customer service and support?
While there have been a few issues that NetApp hasn't been able to resolve for our specific company, the majority of problems I've encountered have been effectively addressed with their support. Overall, we are quite satisfied and I would rate it eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What was our ROI?
The reduction in operational latency is quite significant, approximately around 40%. Efficiency gains have led to significant cost savings for us. We no longer need to invest in additional storage capacity unless we anticipate a substantial increase in I/O operations from our applications. We only purchase storage when it's necessary, ensuring that we acquire precisely what we need and understand the performance of our current aggregate effectively.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304792 from
Upgrading from spinning disk increased the overall speed of our production servers
What is our primary use case?
AFF is our complete storage solution. We use it for SIP shares and VMware volumes.
How has it helped my organization?
Upgrading from spinning disk to AFF increased the overall speed of our production servers. AFF helped us simplify our infrastructure and improve the performance of our business-critical applications. The administration has become more straightforward. We were on an old version of ONTAP. Now that we are completely updated, it's even easier on the latest version.
What is most valuable?
AFF works well for VMware storage.
What needs improvement?
AFF could introduce different subscriptions on the platform.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used AFF for three or four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
AFF is stable. I don't have to touch it unless I want to.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
AFF is scalable. The ability to add shelves makes things easier.
How are customer service and support?
I rate NetApp support 10 out of 10. I've never had a complaint.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What was our ROI?
We've seen a significant performance increase. Upgrading from the A300 to the A400 was a noticeable difference.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp AFF 10 out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304765 from
Helps to manage tier-one workloads, including home drives, departmental shares, group shares, and application shares
What is our primary use case?
NetApp AFF handles tier-one workloads, including home drives, departmental shares, group shares, and application shares.
What needs improvement?
The product has size limitations on fax volume. They have increased from 100 to 300, which is still less than other vendors. Or flex groups are not supported.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with NetApp AFF for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
How are customer service and support?
The tool offers good support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We chose NetApp AFF because it has advantages over other file platform vendors.
How was the initial setup?
NetApp AFF's deployment is easy. The tool's representatives were very helpful.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The tool's pricing is neither expensive nor cheap. It is cheaper compared to other platforms.
What other advice do I have?
We had no challenges since we constantly refreshed NetApp AFF technology.
We are working with NetApp AFF and Amazon representatives to move our workloads to AWS.
We have fewer issues with the product compared to other file platforms.
The tool has reduced operational costs by 60-70 percent.
I rate it an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Justin Mardis from
Has good performance and supports multi-tenant and private clouds
What is our primary use case?
NetApp AFF supports multi-tenant and private clouds.
How has it helped my organization?
With our previous spinning disk storage, we did have some "disk busy" problems. Since switching to NetApp AFF, we haven't had any issues. It has simplified the deployment of ONTAP because it's all the same interface. It's also easier to train people on ONTAP because they don't need to learn multiple interfaces. Switching from spinning disk storage to NetApp AFF has significantly reduced our operational latency.
What is most valuable?
The biggest benefit of NetApp AFF is the performance.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used NetApp AFF for around 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
NetApp AFF is great. We haven't had any storage outages in 10 to 12 years.
How are customer service and support?
I rate NetApp support eight out of 10. We always get an answer quickly, and they seem to be knowledgeable about the product. The response to basic problems could be faster. They usually respond fast when there are critical issues, but you always want it right now.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The setup is pretty simple. You put an IP on the box, log into a web interface, and it basically sets itself up. It requires a bit of customization for your environment, but it prompts you, so it isn't difficult. It takes 10 to 20 minutes.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp AFF eight out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Glenn Meyer from
It has simplified our operational model by making routine processes easier and less prone to error
What is our primary use case?
We're using NetApp AFF primarily for file and block storage. We have deployments for remote sites and our data centers, and we also use it for NAS file storage, both NFS and CIFS. We're also using it as a cloud backup, so it is like our tertiary spot for cold data or snapshots.
Our team is gaining experience with ONTAP, which works similarly in the cloud with Azure. As the business has more requests for spinning up new apps in Azure, we'll have the expertise to deploy that quickly in Azure natively with ONTAP stuff.
How has it helped my organization?
Our architecture has historically relied on RDMs, so AFF has enabled us to easily migrate from our old EMC PowerMax to the new NetApp. It's been pretty smooth. We have a lot of SAP servers in our environment, so performance is critical for us.
AFF is simplifying our operational model. We get a lot of requests from our DBAs for routine operations like quick snapshots, backups, or something related to storage. Those requests happen all the time. You could do that with PowerMax, but the process on NetApp is more straightforward and less prone to error. We're a small team supporting a global organization, and every minute we can shave off our routine operations does make a difference for us. It enables us to focus on major projects instead of everyday work.
I'm not in the weeds in terms of costs. One of my other colleagues handled that a little more than I did, but time is money, and we can respond faster to requests. That saves everybody's time, improving efficiency and productivity. You get angry when you're on the other side, making requests and waiting. You're like, "Why have they not finished it yet?" Your morale, effectiveness, and productivity can go down. That can spiral out of control. It's a ripple effect of the little things adding up to make a big difference, so that's where I would frame it in terms of cost-effectiveness.
We have quite a few active-active processes in our data center. We have primary and backup data centers and high-performing databases that require active-active workloads over a 10 gigabit WAN connection. And we are usually at about 1 millisecond latency at all times. So we're hitting it with lots of stuff, and it doesn't bat an eye. It's been very high-performing and easy to use.
What needs improvement?
I've only been using AFF for about a year now, so I don't have many criticisms. I wrote a lot of the automation for our initial migrations from PowerMax to NetApp and as well as automation related to refreshing our production systems. We clone a lot of our production systems to the testing or QA environments so our developers could use real production data in a safe environment.
I worked with the APIs quite a bit, including the REST API. We're working to move out from RDMs to do more VMDK-based disks in VMware, which will allow us to use SnapCenter for more efficiency. SnapCenter makes things even simpler than they already are. Additionally, once we are on VMDKs, we’ll be using the SnapCenter API, which I like even better than ONTAP's REST API.
The ONTAP APIs are good, but little things here and there are slightly different. That adds a little work on my end, but it's ultimately been pretty easy to work with. It's just the consistency of the REST API. About 95 percent of the operations working with the REST API are great, but then you have about 5 percent of things that are slightly different.
That 5 percent mostly come from response data being returned slightly differently than the ones you've already worked with. It's easy enough to work around but blows up in your face the first time you try it, so you inspect the response to see what changed. I would like it if they worked a little harder to get that a little more perfectly standardized. Thankfully the documentation is top notch, so if you aren’t sure of something specific you can just look it up.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
NetApp AFF has been rock-solid. We've had it in production. We did have a node blip recently, but it auto-recovered. Support was automatically alerted, and they told us to check it out. Support had already identified the bug, and there was already a patch for it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We purchased NetApp AFF with scalability in mind. We ended up going with the A900, which is a switched design, so expanding nodes out will be trivial. For some of our smaller sites, we use the A150, and we don't expect that we will need more. If necessary, we can buy some more A150s and expand without much fuss.
How are customer service and support?
I rate NetApp support 10 out of 10. NetApp AFF reduces support issues like performance tuning and troubleshooting. EMC didn't fail regularly, but EMC support has decreased in quality over the years, and getting satisfactory problem resolution has been challenging. That was one of the factors that started getting us to look at other alternatives. We certainly have had our fair share of implementation issues and little bugs here and there. We ran into a panic bug the weekend before flying over here [to NetApp Insight 2023]. But that was an auto-support case from NetApp and quickly resolved.
They were aware of the problem before we were. It automatically recovered. They found the bug for us and gave us a patch to use when we were ready. In most cases, it was pretty simple. NetApp support has been top-notch. I've not had any issues working with NetApp. They've been some of the best and brightest people I've worked with in my career.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used EMC PowerMax. The biggest reason for the switch is that we needed a cloud-ready, cloud-first solution. PowerMax is still a fine platform if you are committed to on-prem and have high-performance on-prem workloads and use cases. It could still be a perfect product for you. However, PowerMax may be limiting if you know your business requirements will take you to the cloud. That's where we were at. Our business was pushing us into the cloud, and we needed more of our workloads to be replicated in the cloud or cloud-native. PowerMax wasn't the right solution for that.
PowerMax is an aging platform so it doesn't have the flexibility to easily migrate into the cloud. We need our hot-tier data readily accessible on-prem and to be able to access cold storage in the cloud through Azure or whichever provider you want. But we use Azure. That was a key factor for us. We currently use cloud tiering to Azure for automated cold storage processes (mainly for file level data) and we are still exploring additional use cases for future and expanded operations.
How was the initial setup?
We did a six-month proof of concept and put it through its paces. We had a cluster in our primary and backup data centers. We tested out SnapMirror Business Continuity quite thoroughly. That was a new technology for us, and it's still fairly new in its own right. We even did some automation in the proof of concept where we built out a process that explored what our refresh process would look like on NetApp. We were able to bang that out in about three days. It was easy. I was involved with that from day one.
What about the implementation team?
We partnered with CDW during implementation. They've been a fantastic value add for us. We also worked with a rep from NetApp, but we met a lot of NetApp people and CDW people. Both companies brought deep knowledge and expertise. We had a long list of questions that they answered to our satisfaction.
What was our ROI?
I wouldn't be able to quantify the ROI in dollars and cents, but we've seen improvements in terms of saving time and increasing our effectiveness. My background is in virtualization and networking. I was new to storage when I started working with NetApp only a year ago. It has been easy to figure out. As we grew our infrastructure team, it has been easy to onboard them and get them up to speed, so it's much easier to realize the value we're looking for.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When we bought NetApp, it was very reasonably priced. When you factor in the time savings, it's highly cost-effective.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp AFF 10 out of 10. I would recommend AFF depending on your use case. PowerMax might be right for you if you're completely on-prem and have high-performance needs. You need to understand your business requirements and what your developers and DBAs need. It's crucial to figure out exactly what's driving the business. Plot out what the next year or five years will look like and ensure you're in a position to handle those needs.
Once you know what those needs are, you'll be able to ask NetApp or whatever vendor the right questions. Those should be tough questions you ask your vendor and you should take them to task. If they don't give you good answers, they need to figure something out because you don't want someth...
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Anna Sofo from
Since switching, our clients have reported improved performance and reduced latency
What is our primary use case?
We recommend NetApp for all our clients that have traditional infrastructures with two servers and some companies that are in manufacturing or the public sector. We have many different experiences with NetApp.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp AFF has helped our clients simplify their infrastructure while delivering high performance to their business-critical applications. We have a lot of clients that use SQL Server with NetApp, and we have noticed improved performance. We usually recommend NetApp AFF instead of SaaS because it's much faster. We've gotten a lot of positive feedback from our customers about the reduced latency.
What is most valuable?
I like NetApp AFF's deduplication. The solution's AutoSupport feature is efficient and effective because customers are notified of potential issues before they experience problems with NetApp. The support is sold based on metro clusters, so they guarantee the client's business continuity. NetApp has an Active IQ app that allows you to get information on your smartphone.
What needs improvement?
I don't work on the technical side of things, so it's hard for me to highlight areas of improvement, but maybe the price could be a little better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We first implemented NetApp AFF in 2016.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't faced stability issues with NetApp AFF.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
NetApp AFF is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I rate NetApp support 10 out of 10. We've gotten good feedback from our customers. They're very satisfied.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We sometimes offer clients alternatives to NetApp like HPE and Dell EMC. While we typically recommend NetApp, some clients prefer other storage vendors. We had one client who used Pure Storage, but they asked us to try NetApp. Today, none of our customers have Dell EMC.
What was our ROI?
NetApp AFF offers some cost advantages because the product has a long lifecycle. The clients don't need to change their storage solution every two to three years. Customers can extend their guarantee to six or seven years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
NetApp isn't the cheapest solution on the market, but the price is good for the performance we get.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetApp AFF 10 out of 10. Our customers are satisfied with the performance. We never have any problems with the data speed.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-12-21T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Naveen Radhwani from
Reduces operational latency and is consistently stable
What is our primary use case?
I have used it for storage services.
How has it helped my organization?
NetApp AFF has helped to simplify our infrastructure while still getting very high performance for our business-critical applications. It has helped to accommodate a non-structured environment. I have a diversification of Windows and Linux in my network, and it has supported both networks.
NetApp AFF has helped to reduce support issues such as performance-tuning and troubleshooting.
NetApp AFF has definitely reduced the operational latency. It has reduced operational latency by 30% to 40%.
What is most valuable?
Its consistent stability is one of the things that I like, and the performance is also very good.
What needs improvement?
The dashboard needs improvement. The dashboard needs some uplift.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NetApp AFF for eight to ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using a small configuration Dell server. The configuration was not so high. We chose NetApp AFF simply because of its performance and stability.
How was the initial setup?
The initial deployment was a bit complex. At the time of implementation, we created a parallel setup and gradually shifted from the old setup to the new setup.
What about the implementation team?
We got it done directly from the NetApp support team.
What was our ROI?
I have not worked out the ROI. After implementing it, COVID came, and we did not work much on it. Its renewal is around the corner, and at that time, we will go into ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its price is quite competitive, but there is still scope for better pricing.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated NetApp, Dell, and HPE storage. I chose Netapp AFF because I had used NetApp earlier as well, so I was well aware of the performance of this solution.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate NetApp AFF an eight out of ten. I would recommend it to others.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-01-03T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Alistair Kennedy from
Offers the right balance between price and performance
How has it helped my organization?
AFF has simplified our infrastructure and delivered high performance for crucial business applications. Our move to c-series, with C800 units, consolidates infrastructure, aligns with sustainability goals, and lowers costs. This has allowed us to operate with a smaller team and streamline our IT operations, bringing significant benefits.
AFS has also reduced support issues related to performance tuning and troubleshooting.
Additionally, AFF has optimized our costs, and it is the reason we are using this platform today. It has minimized our footprint, lowered power consumption, and reduced upfront costs and it has reduced operational latency to some extent.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of AFF is that it offers better visibility and control over performance, ensuring it meets customer needs effectively.
What needs improvement?
One minor improvement could be making scale-up solutions with AFF more cost-effective compared to scale-out options.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using NetApp AFF for quite some time.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
AFF's stability is excellent, and I can't remember any major issues. It is also scalable, particularly when we expand our clusters, making it a smooth and seamless experience for our customers.
How are customer service and support?
NetApp's support has been great. We have found value in their SAN services, which provide embedded support. Their teams are knowledgeable and responsive, offering a high-quality support experience that stands out among our partners. I would rate the support as a nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We switched to AFF from a previous vendor to get the best all-flash solution that met our price-performance needs.
What was our ROI?
AFF has helped us achieve our margin targets and deliver on our business goals. It has definitely provided a return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing and licensing can be tricky. It is often a delicate balance between value and cost. However, I think NetApp is moving in the right direction, offering better value for the money.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We implemented AFF to find the right balance between price and performance. We compared it with other options in the market, and AFF emerged as the best choice for our needs. What set AFF apart were its reliability and strong data protection features. Our VDI solution provided multi-site configuration support, which is crucial for replication and failover. In comparison, other options relied more on software and hypervisor layers to achieve what we needed. AFF met our platform requirements, and in a competitive market, it offered the best value for our customers. That is why our partnership with NetApp was the right choice for us.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate NetApp AFF as an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-11-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Tyrell Miller from
Reduces support issues, offers superior flash capacity, and improves performance
What is our primary use case?
We're a hospital, and we do a lot of imaging tasks. Specifically with our cardiology imaging, we had a lot of issues with the data transfers to the FASM. Once I moved all of that over to the AFF, all of that went away.
NetApp AFF has helped reduce operational latency. From going from our old FAS systems to AFF, I already see massive performance improvements.
How has it helped my organization?
For years, my company used EMC, and EMC really wasn't doing what we needed it to do.
Some of our sales reps invited my boss and a previous administrator to NetApp INSIGHT. From there, they got to see everything work. The administrator got the certification and they actually bought it right there. AFF just fits the bill for the company.
AFF has helped us simplify our infrastructure.
The simplifications have improved our operations. Our operations used to be one to two hours, just trying to set up simple shared drives and things. Now, I do it in a couple of minutes. It's taking a lot of weight off of me.
NetApp helped to reduce support issues like performance tuning. It's the auto-support features and everything that just fires off to NetApp and they're back to me within minutes of those auto-supports firing off. It's things that would normally take days to resolve, now take minutes using NetApp.
What is most valuable?
ActiveIQ is the most valuable feature. It's a central point for me to be able to kick into everything every day. I log in first thing and make sure there are no issues, and it helps me with my day-to-day.
NetApp AFF has absolutely helped to simplify our infrastructure. One hundred percent. It's still getting us very high performance for our business-critical applications.
What needs improvement?
There are features that are available but we haven't purchased them. We haven't delved into the cloud environment too much. BlueXP offers a lot of options that I would like to see, but it's not available with what we currently have.
They should make these features a little more affordable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using it for less than a year. We've had it at our company for years, but I've been working with it since March.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I've never had any major issues out of it other than the drive or node failure. The way it's configured is not an issue. We never saw any dip in performance or anything.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is fantastic because we work with new clinics all the time. Usually, I have to spin up some new volumes for those, and it's no problem at all. We're looking at Keystone right now, and that's going to help it quite a bit more.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support are fantastic. A couple of weeks ago, I had a drive go down, and they had one out to me the next morning.
I had a control board go down on one of my nodes a few months ago, and they sent a guy out to me the next day.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used different solutions. We opted for AFF because of its flash capacity. The all-flash capacity is fantastic.
How was the initial setup?
I enjoy understanding how the setup works. I never have any issues with it.
The previous guy set it up before me, and I've picked it up and run with it. I haven't really had any issues since then.
What was our ROI?
We saw an ROI in terms of turnaround times on our data. It provides patient care at a much faster speed than what we normally would be able to.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In future releases, I would like to see some nonprofit licensure tiers because it's a nonprofit hospital, so it's competing with more commercial licensing. It gets a little more expensive for the nonprofit.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
My company evaluated different options, but AFF was definitely one of the front runners.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate NetApp AFF a ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304759 from
Offers outstanding performance and simplified management
What is our primary use case?
Our main use revolves around database management, specifically for Oracle and SQL databases, including large databases, and for handling unstructured file data within our organization.
How has it helped my organization?
We've been addressing our evolving needs, and it was a logical progression as our systems demanded greater resources and improved performance, so it became the go-to solution for meeting those requirements. The simplified infrastructure allows our storage team to allocate their efforts to other important tasks. They can focus on aspects like backup, automation, and proactive administrative duties, rather than constantly dealing with performance problems or troubleshooting issues.
What is most valuable?
Its top-tier performance ranks as the most valuable aspect.
Secondly, the reduced frequency of drive failures leads to less time and resources spent on maintenance and replacements. I am highly satisfied with its exceptional, consistent performance, ensuring that applications run smoothly and reliably. It has proven to be highly effective, with the added benefit of utilizing a range of additional features, whether we're dealing with flash or lower-end disk storage solutions.
It has greatly contributed to efficiency and improved performance in our operations, indirectly impacting cost management.
What needs improvement?
Offering the ability to actively write data on a single volume spanning multiple clusters is significant.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is quite remarkable. Occasionally, there may be a component failure, but it's typically a non-issue due to the redundancy and built-in safeguards in place.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is commendable. You can easily expand the system by adding nodes or disks, and we've done this several times with successful results.
How are customer service and support?
It stands out as one of the few vendors that provide a pretty good level of customer service. I would rate it eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before adopting NetApp, we relied on Direct-Attached Storage solutions.
What was our ROI?
In terms of ROI, it meets our expectations and fulfills the intended purpose for which we acquired it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is competitive when we compare it to other products.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We considered a few different competitors. However, what set NetApp apart was the fact that it offered a single array capable of handling both block and file storage.
What other advice do I have?
When considering and evaluating NetApp, one of the key advantages to take into account is the unified single OS. You don't have to purchase different products and then struggle to make them work seamlessly together. Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Richard Lozano from
Dependable, easy to maintain and helped reduce support issues related to performance tuning and troubleshooting
What is our primary use case?
Our use cases are related to VMware Infrastructure.
How has it helped my organization?
AFF has helped us simplify our infrastructure. It's made our operations more stable and dependable. There's not much downtime.
It provides very high performance for our business-critical applications.
Moreover, AFF has helped to reduce support issues such as performance tuning and troubleshooting. Overall, it has been helpful. The system is very stable and reliable.
AFF has helped to reduce our operational latency and optimize costs very significantly.
What is most valuable?
From an IT perspective, there's not a lot of babysitting. It maintains itself. It is a very dependable tool.
What needs improvement?
In future releases, I would like to see the ability to automatically mount SMB shares and file systems.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using AFF for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I am happy with the stability of the solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is able to scale according to our needs. I can grow my storage capacity as much as I need, there is no limit.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support are fantastic. They have been great.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used a different storage solution prior to AFF.
We made a switch to AFF because we wanted to keep everything consistent and wanted to have ONTAP everywhere. So, we decided to standardize on NetApp AFF for all our storage needs. It has been working out well for us.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward.
What was our ROI?
The stability of AFF alone has been a significant ROI.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated other options.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1600995 from
Enables us to lower latency
What is our primary use case?
We have a workload class that requires better performance.
How has it helped my organization?
The tool has lowered latency.
What needs improvement?
In the current atmosphere, private cloud is improving. NetApp AFF needs to provide flexibility in terms of hardware and capital expense.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the product since 2017.
How are customer service and support?
NetApp AFF does a good job in terms of support.
How was the initial setup?
The product's deployment is straightforward.
What was our ROI?
The tool's ROI is primarily on the performance workload. We have seen ROI with the tool's use.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You need to be careful with the licensing since it can become expensive
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Dell, Hitachi and Pure.
What other advice do I have?
NetApp AFF has improved efficiency and sustainability. It has simplified our infrastructure and reduced the costs for staffing and equipment.
The product has doubled performance.
We also have Dell Storage.
I rate the product a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304681 from
Effectively replicates data from on-premises data centers to the cloud and continuously provides optimal performance
What is our primary use case?
We have Cloud Volumes on top of our RDR instance and SnapMirror from on-prem to that.
We use AFF to replicate the data from our on-premises data center to the cloud.
How has it helped my organization?
The changes to the forms of our databases have been the most valuable aspect. We have a large healthcare information exchange in New York. It has better efficiency and good performance of larger systems. It's really noticeable.
It has served to process data, serve our clients, and keep the systems up reasonably well. I'm trying to have data protection with everything incorporated into the systems in the environment.
It has good scalability and keeps the systems stable, performing, and running well. We have a lot of data. We're continuously testing a lot of data. We're expanding and growing. It makes sure that we can have everything running, keep uptime, and have everything protected and secure. It makes sure the data is relevant rather than being out of sync.
We leverage many features that NetApp has provided, like FlexPoint, to rapidly build systems. The performance is noticeable.
AFF has helped to reduce our operational latency. Latency hasn't been too much of an issue, especially for large, higher-performing systems. We migrate most of our production to AFF.
NetApp AFF helped reduce support issues such as performance tuning and troubleshooting combined with Active IQ; those things have made it. We don't have many issues with the AFF systems.
What is most valuable?
All of the features are good. With Flash, we have high-performing databases. Having that kind of performance has been valuable.
Moreover, the simplified infrastructure has become easier to manage. We have a small team, so it's made it less difficult to keep things going.
It's very intuitive to work with, and all the seamless tools and applications come together. Our team isn't big, so it's more manageable.
What needs improvement?
It's more about protecting data backups because the cache databases we use don't have any native controls like queuing for snapshots and stuff like that.
We're working on trying to improve this with Ansible. More Ansible integration is the key right now. We would like to have more automation with Ansible and better ways to protect the data because we have application encryption. We need more leverage and native encryption tools that NetApp provides.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have had this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's pretty stable. Our issue is growth. In terms of stability, it's very dependable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Generally, the support team is spot on, and helps us out a lot. The issues are few and far between.
Generally, if we have issues, they're really specific, like Cloud Volume issues, replication, or tweaking because of our growth and data.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What was our ROI?
There's an incentive to keep the uptime. Having it on high-performing hardware has improved and kept things going. There are fewer issues and we have higher processing.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
NetApp has been the leading goal standard of technology in terms of storage. There was never an option of exploring any other technologies.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
We are still going through some challenges because of application encryption. Challenges would be duplication and things like that.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304711 from
Its exceptional performance, scalability, and simplified data management make it an ideal choice for organizations looking to optimize their storage solutions
What is our primary use case?
We adopted it primarily for performance and space-saving benefits.
How has it helped my organization?
Since it's an all-flash solution, it significantly enhances performance, and it also offers substantial space savings.
Despite having used it for a while, our usage remains somewhat consistent, but we continue to experience cost savings, and we've seen a remarkable performance improvement compared to the days when we were reliant on traditional hard drives like SAS drives.
It plays a crucial role in mitigating support issues, especially those related to performance tuning and troubleshooting. One of the notable aspects is how it seamlessly communicates with ActiveIQ, both online and on the website, providing valuable insights into security vulnerabilities and other pertinent information.
It has significantly contributed to cost savings. In the past, we would spend around a hundred thousand dollars for a NetApp system, but now our expenses have reduced to sometimes just thirty or forty thousand dollars, depending on our specific needs.
Additionally, the physical footprint is much smaller, leading to cost savings in terms of rack space within the data center, as well as reduced power consumption and related expenses.
What is most valuable?
There are two compression technologies available within it, and they are valuable because they allow for significantly higher data storage capacity and the retention of a larger number of snapshots on the system. This is crucial because it enables organizations to avoid the need to invest in additional costly storage.
Given the high cost of storage, having these compression technologies in place ensures efficient data deduplication and other storage optimization techniques, allowing for the retention of a substantial amount of data on the system.
What needs improvement?
To enhance the already excellent administration, one area for potential improvement could be in terms of integration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for seven years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is impeccable, scoring a perfect ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability capabilities deserve a perfect score of ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate its support services eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Various other departments within our organization have their own storage solutions, so we had EMC Xtremio and EMC Xtremio in use. Additionally, we've implemented Pure Storage for a separate area of our operations.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was quite straightforward, and we had an engineer who handled most of it. It was impressively easy and hassle-free.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I find the pricing to be reasonable, particularly with the recent inclusion of features like snap locking and ransomware protection within the ONTAP license instead of having them as separate licenses.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When I first joined the company twenty-three years ago, they evaluated various storage solutions before ultimately selecting NetApp. The key factor that led to this choice was NetApp's snapshot technologies.
What other advice do I have?
The system has proven to be incredibly reliable and dependable. For smaller organizations seeking high-performance, straightforward management, and cost-effective solutions, I would recommend considering AFF. I would rate it ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
SaneeshC from
Low latency, ease of migration, and excellent support
What is our primary use case?
We are using it for configuring NAS as well as the SAN environment.
How has it helped my organization?
Most of our business-critical systems are provisioned from the NetApp AFF system. Compared to others, we have a minimal latency. Configuring the DR for high availability or migrating the volumes from one box to another is pretty easy with NetApp AFF.
One of the features that I like in NetApp is cluster configuration where multiple systems can be configured in a single cluster. Its advantage is that we can easily migrate the workload from one system to another without any downtime. With zero downtime, we can migrate the systems. That is one of the advantages of NetApp AFF.
NetApp AFF reduces operational latency depending on the systems, the SAN infrastructure, and the server. It is a maximum of one or two milliseconds, and some of the systems do work in 0.5 milliseconds latency.
For performance tuning, there is a tool called Unified Manager as well as the Active IQ system. The initial troubleshooting is very easy. From the administrator front directly, we can log in to Active IQ. It analyzes the logs in the system and suggests what needs to be improved. From a performance point of view, there is a tool called Unified Manager that shows us a clear picture of the historical volume latency. These tools help us to manage the system very easily, but if there is still something that we are not able to figure out through these tools, then we reach out to the support team.
What is most valuable?
We have snapshots, and we have even configured storage-based replication with this product. The majority of our virtual workloads are provisioned from this product as well. Our workload VMs are provisioned in this storage.
For replication and snapshots, it is more user-friendly and easy to use as compared to some of the other OEM products, such as HPE 3PAR and Dell Unity.
What needs improvement?
Migrating from a public cloud to on-prem or on-prem to a cloud can be a bit complicated. They have their own solution, but it should be easy to use.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using NetApp AFF for the last three to four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is very stable. The hardware is very stable. The operating system is also very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I do not face any challenges with NetApp. The support team or everything else is good. If we face any kind of breakdown or any challenge, we can easily reach out to the NetApp backend team. That is one of the advantages of NetApp. I would rate their support a ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have worked with the Dell Unity and VNX products. We migrated from Dell to NetApp because of the advantage of configuring the unified storage, such as NAS and SAN, in a single box.
Apart from that, the end customer preferred to configure DR, and NetApp has its own solution with this device. The end customer also wanted the snapshot feature, and NetApp has its own feature.
In addition, every four or five years, when the system gets old, we need to migrate the workloads to a new system. NetApp has an advantage there because we can purchase a new system and configure it in the same existing cluster. Once it is configured in the existing cluster, from the back or from storage to storage, we can do the migration without any downtime. That is one of the advantages of NetApp.
We have not worked with other NetApp solutions much. We only tested ONTAP and the AWS or the Google Platform Service with NetApp, but we are not using it in our production environment.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to deploy and use. It takes three to five hours. One person is enough for it.
What about the implementation team?
The installation or the initial setup is done by OEM or NetApp engineers. After the initial setup is done, our internal team takes care of the other activities. After the management connectivity and physical parts are established in the backend, our in-house engineer takes care of it.
What other advice do I have?
If you have a virtual environment with the SAN and NAS workloads, NetApp is very suitable. Apart from that, if you are looking for a DR solution, it is very easy to configure DR in NetApp. NetApp also has its own object storage, so object storage is also available in the existing platform and existing versions. If you are using any in-house S3 type of solution, that is available in this.
Overall, I would rate NetApp AFF a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-12-11T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2042487 from
Is reliable and scalable, and can quickly and efficiently snapshot the data
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is running NFS exports for our local on-premises VMware and our CIFS for local shares.
What is most valuable?
I like the ability to snapshot, and the cloning features are valuable to us as well. I like that I can quickly and efficiently snapshot the data and move it to wherever I need to locally or in the cloud. Also, I know that when I take the snapshot that all of the data will be there and that it will be usable when I need to use it.
The reliability of NetAPP AFF is another valuable feature.
Blue XP has made it a single pane of glass so that we can see both on-premises and the cloud. We don't have to worry about going back and forth. It has made everything seamless in terms of the look and feel for the admins.
We use other NetApp Cloud Services solutions such as FSx, Cloud Volumes ONTAP, BlueXP, and Cloud Manager. We're just starting to dip our toes into FSxN. We run all of our student services, our general ledger, and all of our classroom-related items off of CVOs. It has been very reliable for us.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using NetApp AFF since 2019.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have been running NetApp AFF (All Flash FAS) since 2019, and we've not had one unplanned outage since then. It's been a reliable workhorse for us.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We've had to upgrade our available storage three times, and it was all seamless. There is a cost every time, but there hasn't been an outage. It's been quick and seamless, and we haven't had any issues with scalability.
We have 8,000 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students, and we facilitate another 5,000 university staff. We run all of our campus-wide phone systems and CIFS on it, along with our local VMware environment. We have about 10,000 to 15,000 people relying on NetApp AFF every day.
How are customer service and support?
Whenever we have a problem, the technical support staff usually contact us before we contact them. We've never had an issue with technical support, so I'd give them a rating of ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What was our ROI?
As far as a return on investment, it's freed up a lot of our time so that we do not have to worry about the little things that usually take up the majority of our day. Our time can be spent in other areas, whether that's helping with other products, developing new ones, or helping end users.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It can get a little expensive if you need to add more disks. The cost is a pain point for us, especially in terms of expansion.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate NetApp AFF (All Flash FAS) at ten on a scale from one to ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Christopher Dover from
Expandable, transparent, and reduces operational latency
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for service deck storage.
What is most valuable?
Scalability is the most valuable feature. The ones that I use are hot spot-able. If we need more, we can just throw in another drive.
I like the fact that if my drive goes bad it doesn't crash automatically and the system will try to auto-save that data by moving it to one of the hot spots. Then we can just pull out that drive and throw our brand new one in and we'll remove it from the 2020 or 2040s. We went from 600 GBs to 1.2 TBs. We have plenty of storage.
I like how easy it is to discover an issue and either resolve that issue or fine-tune that app to premium support to find that resolution.
We've reduced operational latency. We use the 40 GB connection. In terms of latency between our storage and the VMs that we use, latency is almost nonexistent since we have the server and FAS so close together. We use a 40 GB fiber-optic connection on the back. We don't see any latency at all. We've reduced it to less than 5%. While you can never reduce it to zero, it's barely noticeable at this point.
What needs improvement?
There are no big areas needed for improvement.
Whenever we use it, I've never had a problem that couldn't be fixed with just a phone call. I've never really had any absolute dead zones on it. I can't think of a way to make it better than it already is.
The size of NetApp could be better. They're always about 40 pounds without the hard drives in them, so it would be great if there's a way to make them smaller yet keep the functionality. That would reduce the physical footprint.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't really come across any stability problems. It's pretty stable. It's fantastic.
Data recovery is awesome. If we ever have any issue with having to recover any data on there due to the system and the way we have it set up, we can have it back within an hour. That's thanks to our backup system and the connectivity that we have between NetApp and our backup.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We're using one with between 30 and 35 virtual servers. However, we have those together with 14 other stacks of the same size.
How are customer service and support?
I like the fact that they're very hands-on in finding that resolution for us. We've faced a lot of problems since we break the system on purpose just to make sure that when we go out to the fields and use it, if we have the same problem, we know how to fix it.
Technical support is excellent. We've never had a problem with them, and they always came back to us with an answer. Within 24 hours, we have our fix.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have always used NetApp. We did not previously use a different solution.
How was the initial setup?
I've never deployed the solution. I've just worked with it directly.
What was our ROI?
The best benefit I've seen using it was the data distribution between two different FASs for data backups. It should be fast, and it's super reliable. It's easy to do, and it's an almost hands-off way of setting up. That's where the ROI is for us.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I've never worked with pricing. I can't speak to the exact costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We thought about using Dell, however, when it came to cost-effectiveness, we stayed with NetApp. I like the way NetApp is coded and its maintenance configuration. I know how to set up a NetApp; I prefer that over Dell.
What other advice do I have?
AFF hasn't necessarily helped us to optimize FAS as we've always used it, and it's never been detrimental for us to use it.
I have not been affected by ransomware since deploying AFF. I wouldn't say that is due to any extra attention. The environments that I use it on, we're behind several mitigations for that.
We do not use any other NetApp services at this time.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2026638 from
Excellent ONTAP cluster, scale-out, and architecture
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution mostly for virtual workloads, VMware, databases, and also the VDI infrastructure.
How has it helped my organization?
We can provide all the SLA performance-wise and high availability to the business. We are trying to maintain compliance with all business SLAs.
What is most valuable?
The ONTAP cluster, the scale-out, and the architecture are great.
We are a large-scale company, and our growth has been pretty significant over the last five or six years. We like the scale, and the way NetApp grows, so that's why we use it. It's mostly for block storage.
NetApp data helped to reduce our operational latency to some extent. We've saved maybe 20%.
We have not been affected by ransomware since using the solution.
What needs improvement?
The NetApp support could be better. NetApp can improve a lot on hardware upgrades and proactive support.
In the past, AFF has helped optimize our costs. However, not anymore since NetApp has increased its prices. The optimization we had previously is not the case anymore.
Recently, we have had some support issues that we definitely have some concerns with.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for eight to ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good. I'd rate it eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. We are in a large enterprise, so that fits our requirements. There is about 30 to 35 petabytes of data and a block size of close to 25 to 30 petabytes of data.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support could be better and should be more proactive.
We've also had some production outages. Due to one upgrade, for example, there was a significant outage.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I'm also familiar with Dell EMC.
We've used PowerMax, and we have used StorageGRID.
We use AFF as this is the main environment for our corporate environment.
NetApp has been in the environment for quite some time, so we have built that comfort level with the product.
How was the initial setup?
I was involved with the initial deployment of the solution. The setup was complex on our end. Our internal processes are difficult as we have such an extensive environment. For example, we must go to security and do all the reviews and assessments. It's our internal program. There's nothing on NetApp.
What about the implementation team?
We worked directly with a third party on the deployment and with NetApp. Overall, the experience was okay.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing has definitely increased significantly as compared to other competitors.
What other advice do I have?
I have not used NetApp BlueXP.
We are looking into FSx ONTAP. We are trying to do the pilot program on FSx ONTAP, and we will probably use that in the cloud in AWS.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. We've only really had some support issues and some issues around performance sometimes.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2039352 from
Reliable, reduces latency, and offers good support
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for SQL server-based applications.
How has it helped my organization?
The last customer I worked with wanted to improve the performance of SQL responses. They were having issues with multiple SQL statements taking time. Although it's not just a hardware-only solution, they had to do both, which meant replacing their previous hardware and, at the same time, improving their queries. That combination was most important for the customer.
What is most valuable?
Since I know NetApp's systems, staying with NetApp was one of the best features. For example, Flash is the solution for latency. It reduces latency. The SQL server benefits from all-flash storage, and NetApp is among the most responsive.
I actually did major projects where we used NetApp storage for some government agencies, and we were able to keep the storage where the government or the customer is able to own the storage while using AWS as their computing. That part was helpful to the customer.
What needs improvement?
The improvement I would like to see is not just about NetApp. Rather, it's about improving the hardware itself in terms of its lifecycle. How long is it going to stay as responsive, for example. Their rates have improved; however, there is still room to improve.
I'd like to see them continue with scalability and have the ability to scale more. Hopefully, it gets more compact than it actually is for the scale that we're looking for.
When it comes to the cloud, they might need to improve in terms of making it clear why someone would use a NetApp solution over cloud-made storage. That part either needs to have improved technology or improved visibility to the customer. Why should I use that instead of something that seems to be less expensive? They need to explain that more than simply saying ROI is good and the TCO is good. People need a little bit more. It's not easy in this space for people to choose a product. When you go online, you want to have a simple way to choose.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good with NetApp. It's fine for most people. There would be some places where it would be difficult, whatever you do.
We tend to work with environments based on petabytes.
How are customer service and support?
I like NetApp support. They're very consistent. It's not only the NetApp hardware that you get support with. It's also within that area where NetApp's hardware is, and even software is involved in a total solution with third parties. NetApp's support cares about the total solution and is willing to help.
There are always issues of who should be the right person to address items. Sometimes there's making sure that whoever owns this error is the person you're working with. It takes someone with experience from the customer perspective to know that it will be better if you work with NetApp on that level. That being said, sometimes it can get difficult.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did previously use another storage solution.
I have been using NetApp for more than 20 years, and I know NetApp's technologies and support. There is reliability that there is going to be a continuation of technology, and so those are reasons why I continue to choose the solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup process is okay. If you are experienced, it is fine.
While it's not easy, with the instructions they have, it's straightforward. It just takes some level of expertise or experience in NetApp solutions to be able to do it.
What was our ROI?
NetApp AFF optimized our customers' costs - or at least, the customer believes so. I didn't do a first-time TCO or ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of the solution could be improved to better favor the customer.
What other advice do I have?
Since we've implemented NetApp AFF our clients have not been affected by ransomware attacks. My customer is not in that position, as they would be on-prem and unconnected.
We do use other NetApp services, mostly around volumes and cloud solutions. I have not had any hands-on experience with object storage yet.
I'd rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2042493 from
Is easy to use and flexible, and provides the best speed for our applications
What is our primary use case?
We use it to create our volume groups for our ESX hosts, VMware, file storage, and Flash Pool for our images. We use it as a tier storage to our NetApp storage grid.
What is most valuable?
Snapshots, snap clones, backups, flexibility, and agility are valuable features. I like that NetApp AFF is easy to use. We can automate everything for our backups and use cases. It's fast and simple, and provides storage to all of our VMware ESX hosts. It expands easily as well.
Our latency is fine, and NetApp AFF provides us the best speed for our applications.
In terms of optimization of costs, NetApp AFF is a little expensive, but I don't mind paying for it.
The ability to connect to CVO and ANF is great, and as a result, it has a lot of flexibility.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using NetApp AFF since 2016.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't had any major problems with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It scales well, and we haven't had any problems. We also have site storage with AFF C190, and being able to integrate with our other sites has been great. We have about 16 clusters in two different data centers for AFF.
How are customer service and support?
My experience with technical support has been good. We have a primary TAM and pay for that service. They are very good at responding to our requests and needs, and I'd give them a ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were on spinning disks with NetApp before, but we also had IBM XID. We switched to NetApp AFF because we were already heavy users of NetApp. We liked the cost, flexibility, and the ability to adapt to all of our workloads. Now, we're a single storage provider or user.
What was our ROI?
Our ROI is that we've been able to reduce our storage footprint by 30% by going to a single storage provider. We can FlexVol our environment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I think the pricing and licensing are a little high, but compared to those of other storage vendors, it's within reason. After the three-year prepay, the extended warranty is a little expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated IBM and Dell EMC, and Dell EMC was too expensive, and it didn't have the flexibility that NetApp had.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate NetApp AFF (All Flash FAS) at ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2039343 from
Easy to use, lowers transactional speed, and helps optimize costs
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for databases, including Oracle, SQL, PostgreSQL, and VMware.
We're moving some data warehouses over as well as our main financial system.
What is most valuable?
The NVMe flash cache is the most useful feature. It lowers transactional speed even more.
We have found the ease of use to be excellent. Everybody's got expertise in it.
AFF helped reduce our operational latency. Since we started using it, we've improved by 20%.
AFF has helped us optimize our costs. We partnered with StorageGRID on that, and so we tier our data with StorageGRID and use AFF for the hot data, and then we tier it off to StorageGRID, which is really helping with that.
What needs improvement?
I do not have any notes for areas of improvement.
There's a lag with StorageGRID. It's off of this tier-three disc. After a few days, we sluff it off to StorageGRID, and then if all of a sudden, they need to restore that data, it takes a while to spin it back up and write it back to that. What would be great is if they could actually make StorageGRID so that it's pretty fast and has a fast recall. That being said, that's a recovery issue.
In the past, NetApp designed it so that you have a 70% threshold. You would never fill up past 70% since you need to have that room available. Whereas with Pure, I can fill it up to 110% of what they listed and it's still going at full speed. NetApp can't do that. They need to build in more capacity to ensure users don't lose 30% of a buffer off the top.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is fantastic. They're really coming as close to a high availability system as you can get.
In the past, with the controller failover, you'd have to rely on the other controller. It was a little bit hit or miss. AFF has really stepped it up to where I'm not lagging on performance when it fails over if it's an upgrade, update, or something like that. I don't have to worry as much about controller failure anymore.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is great. It's just expensive. That's why we would go with StorageGRID. Due to supply chain issues, I already know that these flash drives are so expensive. We're paying through the roof for those drives even on a discount. Therefore, while scalability's great, we can't really afford it. I can't go and buy a $4 million system.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is pretty good. It is hit or miss. For the most part, it's good.
The main complaints I get from the engineers are that they'll just say, "it's a future release, and that future release is just too far down the road, and we need to get that done right away." Whereas we see a pain point now, and we would like to see them fix our problems right now. That said, we understand we're not the biggest customer on planet earth.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before AFF, we used Hitachi. We switched to simplify from the fiber channel over to NAS. We were looking to simplify and make the network the cost point instead of having fibre channel expertise and network expertise.
How was the initial setup?
I was not involved in the initial setup of the solution.
What was our ROI?
We've probably optimized our costs by 70%.
We have seen ROI in terms of less latency on applications and users being able to get more done more quickly. The experience is really good with StorageGRID unless you're doing restores, and then they've got to restore that data. That's the only thing that's lagging. That said, the return on investment has been great since the DBAs and the other customers get more done and get more cycles accomplished with that enhanced IOP performance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is palatable; we can swallow it. We're a longtime customer and we view our relationship as a partnership, not just a one-time deal. They have taken good care of us.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked at Dell, Pure, and EMC, among other options.
I like Pure. Pure has very low-cost copies of point-in-time databases that they can spin up immediately, and the developers, the database administrators, can have that hanging off the same disc at a low cost. It's just built off of the existing data, and I haven't seen NetApp come up with anything like that yet.
The Snapshotting, SnapMirror, SnapVault technologies, and just having all of those technologies, are really nice so that we can get a copy, SnapMirror, for example, in the data center, and we can have that spun up really quick. That's NetApp's technology and that's the advantage there.
What other advice do I have?
I have not used BlueX, their cloud management aspect.
We haven't seen any ransomware attacks. Security's pretty closed off. They're not going to tell us if something happens, so it's hard to gain visibility. We'll just know that we've got to do a restore or something. That said, we haven't lost anything.
We do not use any other NetApp cloud services. We just use StorageGRID and the AFF right now. FSX looks intriguing. We'd be willing to test it in the future.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It's a good product.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-12-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2039358 from
Great speed, easy to set up, and offers excellent throughput
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for virtualization. We run VMware on it.
How has it helped my organization?
Before running AFF we ran regular SAS Disk Arrays. NetApp AFF greatly improved the performance.
What is most valuable?
The speed is great. That's probably number one in terms of features we appreciate.
The throughput is excellent.
It's useful for running production databases on.
NetApp AFF has reduced our operational latency. It has close to doubled it.
What needs improvement?
The setup process could be easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I used NetApp AFF for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I never had any major outages or issues with the platform.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scaling is easy enough. Users can just throw another shelf in. It's easy to add hardware.
How are customer service and support?
Support is good. I've never had any issues long term.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've used Dell EMC in the past, and we use Pure now.
Pure is easier to manage just from an interface perspective, however, I would say the performance of both is close to equal. We chose AFF primarily for the level of performance. That said, the team that works for me has more experience with Pure. The issue we have is that the footprint is way smaller.
How was the initial setup?
I was involved in the initial deployment of AFF. I've done it quite a few times and I find the process to be straightforward.
The deployment could be easier. Pure setup is way easier in comparison but I had no problem setting AFF up.
The initial setup has a lot more steps in it than are probably necessary for a base deployment, unlike other vendors where it's more straightforward. It could be a little bit more streamlined.
What about the implementation team?
I handled the deployment myself.
What was our ROI?
We haven't quite witnessed an ROI. Eventually, it becomes cheaper as we go along instead of going all cloud, however, in the end, it's probably pretty close to equal.
They sped everything up initially. However, are there other products that have a better ROI? Maybe. Pure probably has a better ROI overall and especially when you start talking about Pure Evergreen and the way that they do their maintenance. That's a big difference that helps a little bit with the cost long term.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is pretty in line with industry standards.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not evaluate other storage issues.
What other advice do I have?
We are a NetApp customer.
So far, the solution has not optimized our costs.
Since using the solution, we have not been hit by ransomware.
We do not use any other NetApp cloud solutions together with AFF.
In terms of rating the product by itself, I would give it a nine out of ten due to some of the usability differences that I know now. Overall, against other vendors, I would probably rate it eight out of ten based on the footprint size and some of the longer-term support features.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2039376 from
Optimizes costs and overall storage and makes migrating to the cloud easy
What is our primary use case?
We share data between systems as well as sharing data between our off-brand mainframe.
How has it helped my organization?
We got AFF as an upgrade from our existing older platform. We used to have an older version of NET. We had NET 7 Mode, and we had it for a very long time. AFF gave us a lot more performance. It is just a more reliable platform.
What is most valuable?
The Snapshots and just the overall flexibility of the product have been great.
Using AFF helped reduce our cost of licensing.
AFF has helped us with saving or optimizing our costs.
We have been able to optimize overall storage.
So far, we have not been affected by ransomware attacks since implementing AFF.
Being based on ONTAP makes migrating to the cloud much easier to take advantage of. We can figure out the cloud SVMs in a very similar fashion. That's been a big help. It's a technology we already know, so we can pretty much apply anything from ONFREM to FSx.
What needs improvement?
There are no specific areas that need improvement. There aren't any particular features we'd like to see in the next release.
Some of the graphical user interface changes in the later versions of NetApp have not been as good as the older ones, like in the 9.5 era. Just from overall usability from our tier three team, we've had to go in and fix some things after they go and do a deployment since there are certain options that used to be there that aren't.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's been very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
For our uses, it's been fairly scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has been great. We had to reach out to NetApp before when we had an issue or a hardware problem. They were helpful.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before using AFF, we had some of the older FAS 8040 systems. We still have a couple in operation and some from way back in 7-Mode still on our current cluster.
We have been a NetApp shop for a while and just wanted to continue working with them.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We did have a partner work with us to kind of get it up and running so that was a big help. Our experience with them was very good.
What was our ROI?
While I don't have the numbers to quantify it, I have seen an ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing seems reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
We started to look to use BlueXP for managing our FSXN instances.
We will be using it to help migrate from an on-prem to a cloud environment. We are starting to migrate some of our workloads as we work on closing one of our data centers. So, we'll probably be using that for migration purposes.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304789 from
Filers have a quick response
What is most valuable?
The tool's most valuable feature is SVM. I also like the speed and response of the filers.
What needs improvement?
We should be able to manage NetApp AFF as per the desired usage and needs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
NetApp AFF is stable.
How are customer service and support?
NetApp AFF's support is excellent.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What was our ROI?
We have seen ROI with the product's use.
What other advice do I have?
NetApp AFF has helped us unify and manage the shares under one domain.
The product has helped to reduce operational latency.
The tool has helped us optimize costs with its deduplication, data efficiency, and compression features.
I rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-12-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2304675 from
An efficient solution that helps with SQL workloads
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for IBM and SQL workloads.
What is most valuable?
The tool's most valuable feature is efficiency.
What needs improvement?
The Bezels need improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
NetApp AFF's stability, reliability, availability, and performance are top-notch.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
NetApp AFF's support is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am comfortable with the pricing, which is fair compared to others.
What other advice do I have?
We wanted to enhance performance with the solution's implementation.
We were able to simplify the infrastructure and get high performance for our business. It has reduced operational latency.
We have been able to optimize costs by 40 percent.
NetApp AFF has helped us with power saving by reducing the footprint of the data center.
I rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-12-05T00:00:00-05:00
