Faster deployment and better cost saving with Azure NetApp Files
Pros
- It has <1ms latency, so very responsive. This is great for demanding environments or where application responsiveness is a high priority.
- Global file caching--Azure NetApp Files comes with entitlement to Global File Caching--ideal for keeping a cached copy of frequently accessed files at remote offices whilst automatically managing conflicts and global file locking.
- Cloud compliance is included with Azure NetApp Files--automatically report on the data you keep and be alerted to any GDPR or PCI (and more) information.
- Instant restores via native Azure API too!
- It’s 100% Microsoft (almost worth forgetting the name NetApp in it). That means it’s not a marketplace offering and the APIs and tools are all native to Microsoft Azure.
Cons
- It does not support file locking although its available as an add-on
- Design is far from native and has a learning curve
- We would like to have backup functionality built in so that we don't run into the issue where the replication process makes a copy of the corrupted data.
Return on Investment
- We realized significantly improved query performance, flexibility, and cost optimization following migration.
- It’s scale up and down--this is truly unique in the cloud storage space, and as you’re billed per hour, it presents significant opportunities to save money at times you don’t need storage performance.
- Our performance increased by 20% during the first year of using it.
Alternatives Considered
NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP, Igloo and Amazon Elastic File System (EFS)
Other Software Used
Microsoft Azure Active Directory, NetApp SaaS Backup for Microsoft Office 365 and Salesforce, Google Cloud AI
