NetApp

NetApp is a leading storage manufacturer based in Sunnyvale, California. You can gain access to traditional hard disk drive (HDD), hybrid, and flash storage solutions with their converged infrastructure partnership with Cisco—the FlexPod.

At the end of 2015, NetApp announced it completed a definitive agreement to acquire the all flash storage startup, SolidFire. With this acquisition, they completed their current and expansive line of flash storage solutions. Now, they have a flash array for every company and need in the marketplace. The E-Series represents their hybrid flash solution and is best suited for mixed workloads that require both high capacity and high performance. Next is the EF-Series which stands as NetApp’s primary all flash storage solution. This series is best utilized for a company’s tier 1 applications that need to perform at exceptional levels at all times. For only the largest enterprise deployments, they offer the AFF8000 all flash array.

Finally, SolidFire is an all flash solution with a twist. SolidFire is built to integrate with existing and new cloud environments. It non-disruptively scales, provides automated management tools, and opens the door to a hybrid flash environment.

Throughout the industry, IT directors and executives are looking for an easier way to deploy data center solutions. This desire has lead to the rise of converged infrastructure designs, and NetApp is at the forefront of this field. By partnering with Cisco, they have built the FlexPod. It combines the Cisco Unified Computing System, Cisco Nexus switching, a Microsoft or VMware hypervisor, and NetApp storage.