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October 27, 2016
Topics: Cloud Volumes ONTAP Cloud Storage2 minute read
NetApp® Cloud Volumes ONTAP® (formerly ONTAP Cloud) creates a virtual NetApp storage array running on cloud infrastructure with all of the enterprise storage features found in the data center.
Cloud Volumes ONTAP brings the benefits of an enterprise storage array to the cloud and makes it easy to use cloud in an enterprise manner.
Cloud Volumes ONTAP not only provides the benefits of trusted enterprise storage systems, but also offers additional benefits not possible with physical systems.
Cloud-Specific Benefits
1. One advantage of cloud systems is the ability to spin up new instances quickly. Instead of waiting for physical infrastructure to arrive, the cloud has pre-provisioned infrastructure in the cloud vendor’s data center that has already been delivered, racked, and cabled. A new storage system based on Cloud Volumes ONTAP can be up and running in as little as 30 minutes.
2. A second underappreciated cloud specific benefit is the ability to turn off systems when they are not needed. Importantly, this can be done in two ways: permanently and temporarily.
Permanently turning off a storage system means it can be completely decommissioned much more quickly than a physical system, ideal for a short-lived project. This aligns infrastructure spending with the life of a project and makes business case accounting much simpler.
Temporarily turning off a storage system is also possible for intermittent workloads. For example, a testing or analysis system may only be needed once per week, but building one from scratch is too time-consuming, even with substantial automation.
Instead, a prebuilt system can be powered off, waiting to be brought online and have its data synchronized quickly with NetApp SnapMirror® using existing known processes. This is ideal for regular but infrequent data processing.
Flexibility & Portability
Flexibility and portability considerations also bring up the option of cloud-based disaster recovery. Adding an Cloud Volumes ONTAP instance to an existing configuration and data copy processes means an organization can quickly add a remote recovery option for its data.
The data can be protected just like a regular off-site disaster recovery site, only now the data can be located anywhere in the world that has an Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure presence.
Instead of having to replace what is done today with a completely new, cloud-centric way of doing things, an organization can keep using existing enterprise storage features, reaping the benefits of investments in training and tools, while simultaneously augmenting them with cloud-specific benefits. The cloud adds new value instead of merely replacing existing value.
Want to get started? Try out Cloud Volumes ONTAP today with a 30-day free trial.
