NetApp brings FSx for ONTAP to Amazon EVS for enhanced cloud migration
NetApp has confirmed that Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP is now available as an external storage option for Amazon Elastic VMware Service (Amazon EVS) on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Amazon EVS is a recently introduced AWS service that enables customers to operate VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) within their Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC), running alongside other applications. This service aims to aid organisations in moving VMware workloads to AWS, extending their VMware environments and providing added business agility.
Cloud migration support
The integration leverages NetApp's data management and protection functions within the cloud environment provided by AWS. It is designed to help customers transition their VMware workloads to AWS without requiring changes to application platforms, refactoring, or adjustments to existing workflows.
This new option is intended to address the complexities associated with cloud migration for mission critical workloads. By doing so, businesses can eliminate outdated infrastructure, lower operational expenses, and maintain important business timelines. NetApp noted that an effective data strategy is necessary to avoid challenges such as unplanned costs, IT sprawl, and disconnected services.
NetApp is currently the only enterprise storage provider with a first-party data storage service built into AWS. Users who have adopted Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP have achieved cost reductions of up to 50 percent. The service's built-in data management capabilities also support improved planning and reduced total cost of ownership for VMware environment migrations.
Customer and partner perspectives
"Customers utilizing Amazon EVS with FSx for ONTAP can now enjoy the same data efficiency, protection, and automation they trust on-premises," said Pravjit Tiwana, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cloud Storage at NetApp. "Through our collaboration with AWS, we're making it easier to move critical workloads to the cloud and manage them at scale."
Matthew Swinbourne, CTO Cloud Architecture at NetApp Asia Pacific, also commented on the regional impact:
"We foresee incredible benefits for Asia Pacific enterprises with the launch of Amazon EVS. The native integration of Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP into Amazon EVS elevates the security, efficiency and performance of VMware workloads whilst reducing the TCO for our customers. With this launch, APAC organizations can achieve the flexibility, performance, and cost benefits that they need to accelerate their cloud ambitions."
Xtravirt, a NetApp Preferred Partner and AWS partner, expressed support for the integration. Robin Gardner, CCO at Xtravirt, stated:
"Enabling support for FSx for ONTAP on Amazon EVS gives customers more granular control over the data powering some of their most important workloads. Customers will be able access NetApp's advanced data management functionality to reduce the overhead of managing virtual environments and more efficiently and securely manage hybrid deployments."
New features and functions
NetApp now provides customers with several enhancements intended to simplify the management of advanced workloads in the cloud. These include the general availability of Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP as a storage option for Amazon EVS, improved migration processes using BlueXP workload factory, and expanded disaster recovery options within BlueXP for VMware. The disaster recovery solution is compatible with both NFS- and VMFS-based datastores, supporting file and block protocols.
The company has also introduced further measures to enhance ransomware protection for Amazon EVS workloads. Notably, the NetApp ONTAP autonomous ransomware protection for FSx for ONTAP can detect and respond to ransomware events in real time. This is complemented by the BlueXP ransomware protection service, which supports end-to-end orchestration for customers to safeguard their data in AWS environments and reduce downtime by identifying threats at the storage layer.
NetApp emphasised that, while its technologies add an important layer of ransomware defence, no detection or prevention system can provide absolute protection. There remains the possibility that some ransomware attacks might go undetected.
