Network Appliance, Inc. provides enterprise storage and data management software and hardware products and services worldwide.
Products
The company offers storage consolidation solutions that incorporate the NetApp unified storage platform and the feature-rich functionality of data and resource management software to deliver storage that helps improve enterprise productivity, performance, and profitability, while providing investment protection and improve asset utilization. NetApp enterprise-class storage solutions are interoperable across all platforms and supported by the company’s service expertise.
Fabric-Attached Storage (FAS) Family
The NetApp family of modular, scalable, unified networked storage systems provides access to various enterprise data for users on various platforms. The FAS6000, FAS900, FAS3000, and FAS200 series of fabric-attached storage enterprise systems are designed to consolidate UNIX, Windows, network-attached storage (NAS), Fibre Channel (FC), Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI), storage area networks (SAN), and Web data in central locations running over the standard connection types - Gigabit Ethernet (GbE), Fibre Channel, and parallel SCSI (for backup). The NetApp design optimizes and consolidates data access for individuals in multiuser environments and for application servers and server clusters with dedicated access. All FAS systems run the Data ONTAP microkernel operating system.
FAS6000 Series Enterprise Storage Systems: The FAS6000 series is designed for the major enterprise applications and demanding technical applications. The FAS6000 series offers the scalability of frame array systems in flexible modular storage architecture. The FAS6000 systems are suited for storage consolidation supporting various applications because they are not only highly scalable but also very flexible. Tiered storage can be implemented in one system using cost-saving SATA (serial ATA) disk drives and FC disk drives. The FAS6030 can be configured with 840 disk drives totaling 420 terabytes (TB) of capacity. The FAS6070, which scales to 504TB spread across 1,008 disk drives and has 64 gigabytes (GB) per second of internal data bandwidth, can handle the major enterprise applications. The FAS6000 systems are also capable of 4GB FC SAN implementations.
FAS900 Series Enterprise Storage Systems: The FAS900 series provides performance, scalability, and resiliency to address the challenging storage needs of major corporate data centers and technical applications. The FAS980 system scales to 100TB and can be deployed for performance-intensive applications, such as online reservation and ordering, seismic processing, and image rendering. The FAS960 provides solutions for core business applications, such as CRM, ERP, and supply chain integration, and major enterprise e-mail and database applications.
NetApp FAS3000 Series Enterprise Storage Systems: The FAS3000 series delivers exceptional storage value for mid-tier Enterprise Data Centers and medium-size businesses, including use for database applications, e-mail, and network storage shares. Its compact, modular design scales to 168TB. The FAS3050 system delivers the performance, flexibility, and manageability essential for stable and productive IT operations. The FAS3020 system is capable of providing superb storage price/performance for smaller data centers, midsized businesses, and major department deployments.
FAS200 Series Enterprise Storage Systems: The NetApp FAS200 series provides economical enterprise-class storage for distributed enterprise deployments and small to medium-sized businesses and organizations. FAS200 systems have the same data access and data protection capabilities as the FAS6000 and FAS3000 series, yet are packaged to meet the needs of smaller installations by using an improved hardware design that shrinks the company’s traditional appliance head to a form factor that fits within a single storage shelf. The FAS250 provides an affordable solution for small and medium size businesses. The FAS270 is a midrange system that offers an entry-level Fibre Channel SAN solution, while providing price/performance for NAS and iSCSI infrastructures. The FAS200 series is upgraded to the major FAS series.
V-Series Family
NetApp V-Series is a network-based solution that consolidates storage arrays from different suppliers enabling unified SAN and file access to data stored in heterogeneous Fibre Channel SAN storage arrays. With V-Series customers can consolidate storage from multiple vendors and achieve - Simplified storage provisioning and management, Increased storage utilization through ‘thin provisioning’, Lowered storage management and operating costs, Comprehensive simple-to-use data protection solutions, Improved business practices and operational efficiency, and Transformation of heterogeneous storage systems into an efficient storage pool. V-Series Family include V3000, V6000, gF270, and gF980 models and supports storage arrays from IBM Corporation (IBM), Hewlett-Packard (H-P), and Hitachi Data Systems (HDS).
Data ONTAP and Key Core Systems Software
NetApp FAS and V-Series storage solutions are all based on Data ONTAP, an optimized, scalable, and flexible operating system that uniquely supports a mix of SAN, NAS and IP SAN (iSCSI) environments concurrently. Data ONTAP software integrates seamlessly into UNIX, Windows, and Web environments. The Data ONTAP operating system provides the foundation to build storage infrastructure and an enterprise-wide data fabric for mission-critical business applications, while lowering the TCO and complexity typically associated with the management of enterprise storage infrastructures.
Data ONTAP includes the patented NetApp WAFL (Write Anywhere File Layout) file management system and the resiliency offered by RAID-DP (RAID Double Parity), double-parity software RAID architecture. Data ONTAP supports all of the major industry-standard protocols’ storage, and its data management, data replication, and data protection software products.
The operating system also includes integrated secure access capabilities and FilerView, a Web-based element manager. Snapshot technology, included as part of the base system, enables online backups and provides rapid access to previous versions of data, without requiring complete separate copies. In addition, SecureShare is a multiprotocol lock management facility that is integrated into the Data ONTAP microkernel. The cross-protocol locking mechanism in SecureShare ensures heterogeneous data sharing without compromising security, data integrity, or performance.
During fiscal year 2006, the company also installed its new operating system, Data ONTAP GX, at several customer sites. Data ONTAP GX, a next generation version of the company’s operating system, leverages distributed systems technology acquired through the purchase of Spinnaker Networks. With Data ONTAP GX, multiple NetApp storage systems can be managed as a single entity under a global namespace. This enables all members of an application server cluster to access data stored across all of the FAS systems by using a single access point, eliminating the traditional complexities of mapping application servers to storage systems. This scale-out architecture is capable of achieving higher levels of aggregate system performance, because data volumes can span multiple storage nodes. Additionally, Data ONTAP GX provides the ability to dynamically add storage resources and transparently redistribute data without any disruption to client systems.
Data Management Software
Network Appliance products are in use today in some of the major data centers in the world. These environments require enterprise class management tools. NetApp provides key management tools to increase productivity and simplify data management. Such tools include FlexVol, FlexClone, FlexShare, and the Data Management Family.
FlexVol: FlexVol technology, included in the Data ONTAP operating system, enables storage architectures with flexible volumes that do not require repartitioning of physical storage space. The FlexVol technology delivers storage virtualization solutions that can lower overhead and capital expenses, reduce disruption and risk, and provide the flexibility to adapt quickly and easily to the dynamic needs of the enterprise. FlexVol technology provisions storage resources automatically and enables the creation of multiple flexible volumes on a major pool of disks.
FlexClone: NetApp FlexClone technology enables true data cloning or the instant replication of data volumes and data sets without requiring additional storage space at the time of creation. Each cloned volume is a transparent, virtual copy that can be used for essential enterprise operations, such as testing and bug fixing, platform and upgrade checks, multiple simulations against major data sets, remote office testing and staging, and market-specific product variations. FlexClone provides substantial space savings with minimal overhead. Customers can manage many more data set variations in less time and with less risk to production environments.
FlexShare: FlexShare, introduced in fiscal year 2006 and included in Data ONTAP, directs the way storage system resources are used to deliver an appropriate level of service for each application. With FlexShare, the customers can host multiple workloads on a single NetApp system and assign individual priorities to each. FlexShare gives storage administrators the ability to leverage existing infrastructure and increase processing utilization without sacrificing the performance allocated to business-critical tasks. Using FlexShare, administrators can confidently consolidate disparate applications, prioritize specific data sets, and dynamically adjust priorities if business needs change.
Data Management Family: The company’s Network Appliance Data Management Family of products provides storage and data management tools to simplify IT administration and improve productivity. NetApp has four suites of products targeted to different IT administrative roles:
Storage Suite - Operations Manager, also known as DataFabric Manager (DFM), provides storage and infrastructure management for storage administrators. File Storage Resource Manager provides file-based storage utilization reporting and analysis. SAN Manager enables visualization, efficient monitoring, and management of Fibre Channel storage networks.
Data Suite - Business Continuance Option provides data protection management of Snapshot copies, SnapVault, SnapMirror, and Open Systems SnapVault (OSSV). Data Migration Manager provides simple to use data migration between Windows environments and NetApp storage systems. VFM (Virtual File Manager) enables IT administrators to set up and protect file data.
Server Suite - SnapDrive products provide integrated data management for Windows and UNIX environments. System administrators can provision storage faster and manage all the server volume manager and file system dependencies. ApplianceWatch products simplify management of NetApp systems within third-party ‘system management’ consoles, such as Tivoli, Openview, and Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM).
Application Suite - SnapManager products are used for SQL Server, SnapManager for Oracle, and SnapManager for Exchange. Application administrators and database administrators (DBAs) can manage their own data with application-consistent Snapshot copies, data protection and disaster recovery management, and application cloning.
Data Protection Products
The company offers a set of hardware and software solutions, including the NearStore SATA-based storage, disk-to-disk backup solutions, a family of replication and business continuance solutions, compliance and security solutions, and tools to manage this information ecosystem.
NearStore: The NetApp NearStore family of platforms represents SATA-based storage platforms optimized for data protection and retention applications. The NetApp NearStore system bridges the gap between primary storage and offline storage by providing data access than offline storage. This makes NearStore ideal for data protection and retention applications, such as disk-to-disk backup, business continuance, archival, compliant retention, and digital content storage. The NearStore family consists of the R200 platform, the NearStore Virtual Tape Library (VTL) platforms, and the FAS platforms with SATA drives and NearStore personality licenses. The R200 is a SATA-only platform based on Data ONTAP and is available in capacities up to 168TB. The NearStore VTL is a disk-to-disk backup appliance that appears like a tape library to a backup software application.
Virtual Tape Library: The NetApp NearStore VTL solution is a managed system that significantly improves backup service levels and cost for traditional data center tape backup infrastructures. NearStore VTL ranges in capacity from 4.5TB to 168TB and is based on NetApp system software optimized for the rapid sequential data throughputs seen in data center backup environments that use traditional backup applications, such as Symantec NetBackup and Tivoli Storage Manager.
Data Protection Software Products
Network Appliance offers business continuance and disk backup solutions for enterprise customer environments. SyncMirror, MetroCluster, SnapMirror, and SnapRestore products provide the appropriate level of data availability and cost of protection matched to the recovery point objectives (RPOs) and recovery time objectives (RTOs) of customer environments. SnapMirror supports synchronous, near-synchronous, and asynchronous remote replication for easy setup, management, and recovery. SyncMirror, in conjunction with other NetApp technologies, such as RAID-DP, provides local data availability to allow NetApp storage systems to continue delivering data after as many as five simultaneous physical disk component failures. MetroCluster enables campus or metropolitan business continuance solution, minimizing downtime through auto-site failover.
SnapVault, Open Systems SnapVault (OSSV), and SnapVault for NetBackup products provide network and storage-optimized disk-to-disk backup solutions. NetApp disk-to-disk products offer solutions to help customers with shrinking backup windows, rapid recovery objectives, and remote office backup challenges. In conjunction with other products, such as FlexClone and LockVault, customers can significantly improve the value of their backup investment by utilizing the backups for other uses such as test and development, compliant retention, and business intelligence.
Data Retention and Archive Software Products
Network Appliance offers a suite of products to ensure data permanence, accessibility, and privacy across various different regulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley Act, 21 CFR Part 11, SEC Rule 17a-4, and HIPAA. Various storage architectures can be created utilizing the SnapLock products in conjunction with NetApp NearStore platforms. The Information Server 1200 products provide improved capabilities for both the initial classification and subsequent e-discovery requirements. The Decru DataFort product adds security and privacy by encrypting data, while still allowing the capability to search the compliant data for legal discovery purposes if the need arises.
A significant demand is being created for disk-based digital content storage in applications, such as medical images (PACS), video surveillance, interactive voice records, and Web multi-media content. The NetApp NearStore storage platforms offer platforms for these applications. The NetApp platforms, based on open standards-based protocols, are integrated into the Embedded Solution Vendor’s (ESV) overall solution for these applications. Information Server 1200 product provide an easy way to access the relevant content in these massive data repositories.
Decru
NetApp also focuses on storage security, and with the acquisition of Decru, the company has taken a leadership position in the emerging storage security category. Decru DataFort storage security appliances provide a unified platform for enterprise-wide security, including heterogeneous NAS, DAS, iSCSI, SAN, and tape environments. The Decru platform combines wire-speed encryption, access controls, authentication, and automated key management to provide security for data at rest. Decru has secured design wins with many of the top global corporations, including the financial services, media, software, telecommunications, and pharmaceutical sectors, and various government agencies worldwide. Flagship customers, such as Iron Mountain and the U.S. Marine Corps have highlighted Decru leadership in technology, security, and deployment capabilities.
Decru has announced strategic distribution agreements with EMC Corporation (EMC) and Quantum Corporation, and works closely with the major storage and networking firms, including Brocade Communication Systems, Inc.; Cisco Systems, Inc. (Cisco); H-P; IBM; McData Corporation; Oracle Corporation (Oracle); Sun Microsystems, Inc.; and Symantec Corporation (Symantec) to develop solutions and test interoperability.
Content Delivery (NetCache)
The NetCache suite of solutions is designed to manage, control, and improve access to Web-based information. NetCache provides solutions to major enterprises to manage Internet Access and Security (IAS), enabling IT managers to control who in their user base is going where on the Internet, when, and what content is being accessed. Furthermore, using compression, localized caching, and other techniques, NetCache also optimizes the Wide Area Network (WAN) to secure and accelerate delivery of information. In June 2006, the company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with Blue Coat Systems, Inc. to sell certain assets of the NetCache business.
NetApp Global Services
NetApp Global Services brings a mix of data center management and deep storage expertise combined with a strategic business focus to give customers various consulting, design and implementation services to provide its customers with enduring, storage solutions. From assessment, planning and design to project management, implementation and integration, the company’s Professional Services group provides expertise in various key areas to help customers manage their storage environments and the people and processes that support them. The company’s Global Support organization supports its hardware and software offerings at worldwide customer sites. NetApp Global Services offers NetApp customers the professional services and support services, including:
SupportEdge: SupportEdge offers unprecedented flexibility, allowing enterprise customers the ability to create an integrated support strategy that encompasses everything from corporate data centers to remote offices.
ConsultingEdge services: ConsultingEdge services are designed to meet the complex storage needs its customers experience as a result of rapid growth or change in their organizational, end-customer, and technological requirements. New solutions must integrate seamlessly with existing applications, servers, and storage to maximize asset utilization and preserve existing investments.
Significant Events
In June 2007, the company announced support for a new storage consolidation solution that pairs the 3PAR InServ Storage Server with Network Appliance Inc. V-Series systems. Jointly developed in direct response to demand from common enterprise customers, the 3PAR and NetApp offering provides managed block and file data services from a single capacity pool. The NetApp V-Series delivers data management capabilities of Data ONTAP to heterogeneous storage environments via a virtualization platform.
Markets
The company markets products globally in approximately 120 counties. The company focuses primarily on the enterprise data management and storage solutions markets, offering an array of products from its products designed for major enterprise customers to its low-end products designed for small-to-medium sized businesses. With its next generation operating system, Data ONTAP GX, the company offers storage grid architecture to performance computing environments.
The company primarily markets its products in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa, and South America. The NetApp and IBM OEM (original equipment manufacturer) agreement formed during 2005 allows IBM to sell IBM-branded solutions based on Network Appliance unified and open network-attached storage and iSCSI/IP SAN solutions, including NearStore and the NetApp V-Series systems, and associated software offerings.
Customer Base
Energy: Customers in the energy market have traditionally deployed the company’s products to support their upstream exploration and production, and downstream refining and distribution activities.
Federal government: The United States federal government is one of the major IT consumers in the world, and Network Appliance Federal Systems, Inc. provides solutions for many data-intensive activities, including intelligence gathering, analysis, and civilian and military operations.
Financial services: Network Appliance solutions for enterprise storage enable these financial institutions to manage data in a distributed infrastructure, enabling customers to leverage their existing technology investments and derive maximum value from their time-sensitive information.
High technology: Global technology enterprises, including semiconductor, systems, and software companies, are keenly focused on reducing infrastructure cost.
Internet: Internet-focused businesses place considerable and often unpredictable demands on transaction-intensive, database-driven environments, such as e-mail, World Wide Web (WWW), and electronic commerce (e-commerce).
Life sciences and healthcare services: Pharmaceutical, bioresearch, genomic research, and clinical-care providers are focused on developing vital new drugs, improving quality of patient care, and increasing their returns on investment.
Major manufacturing: Network Appliance solutions enable these companies to simplify the management overhead associated with storing and protecting major amounts of ERP, engineering, and manufacturing product data, while ensuring that information can be efficiently distributed to manufacturing and distribution sites around the world.
Telecommunications: Service providers in the telecommunications industry are faced with deregulation, globalization, increased competition, and often a substantial debt burden. Network Appliance products and solutions allow these providers to build the network storage infrastructure and content delivery networks required by the global telecommunications industry.
Competition
In the storage market, the company’s primary and nearline storage system products and its associated storage software portfolio compete primarily with storage system products and data management software from EMC, HDS, H-P, IBM, and Sun Microsystems.
The company also competes with companies, including Engenio Information Technologies, Inc. (formerly the Storage Systems Group of LSI Logic Corp.); Dot Hill Systems Corporation; and Xiotech Corporation. In the nearline storage market, which includes the disk-to-disk backup and regulated data storage segments, the company’s NearStore appliances compete primarily against products from EMC and Sun Microsystems.
In the content delivery market, the company’s NetCache appliances and content delivery software compete against caching appliance and content delivery software vendors, including BlueCoat Systems (formerly CacheFlow, Inc.) and Cisco Systems. The company’s NetCache business is also subject to indirect competition from content delivery service products, such as those offered by Akamai Technologies.
History
Network Appliance, Inc. was founded in 1992.
