NetApp's Solutions to 2024’s Cloud Complexity Challenges

In the 90 days that I’ve been leading North America Sales at NetApp, my belief that NetApp is best company in the storage space has only grown stronger—our talent and the recent evolution of the NetApp portfolio have positioned us to enable businesses to create and monetize data-smart experiences without being held back by legacy infrastructure.?

Staying ahead in the cloud and AI space is of the utmost importance. Fortunately, NetApp recently released the 2024 Cloud Complexity Report, offering invaluable insights into the current cloud trends shaping industries and the subsequent challenges that organizations face as they position themselves for success in this new age of AI. Below I’ve presented five key findings from the report and explain how NetApp’s intelligent data infrastructure and comprehensive suite of solutions addresses these business-critical areas.

The AI Divide Between Leaders & Laggards

The report outlines a stark "AI Divide" between organizations that are leading in AI adoption and those that are lagging. Countries like India, Singapore, the UK, and the USA are surging ahead with significant commitments to AI projects, while others, including Japan and certain European nations, are falling behind. The leaders are more invested in hybrid cloud environments and are seeing the benefits of a unified data infrastructure.

NetApp offers a robust AI-ready, intelligent data infrastructure that empowers organizations to bridge this divide. Our approach to unified data storage integrates disparate data sources, providing the agility and insight needed to accelerate AI projects. Combine this with integrated data services and CloudOps solutions, and you have the industry’s best AI data pipeline to simplify data management, maximize performance, and protect AI data.

CloudOps Automation Is Pivotal

We’re also seeing a substantial shift towards CloudOps automation, with 85% of companies in AI-leading countries adopting this practice. This is a significant increase from the 60% in AI-lagging countries, emphasizing the importance of automation in maintaining a competitive edge.

NetApp's CloudOps automation tools help businesses streamline their cloud operations, offering efficiency and scalability. Solutions like NetApp ONTAP AI integrate with NVIDIA's advanced systems to optimize infrastructure and simplify AI application management, enabling seamless automation and operational excellence. And while there may be other vendors that can offer one or possibly two of these capabilities, there is no one that can deliver anything near as comprehensive as NetApp.

Cybersecurity Is a Growing Priority

The report also revealed a notable increase in the prioritization of data security, with a jump from 33% in 2023 to 58% in 2024. This underscores the escalating concern for robust cybersecurity measures in the evolving digital landscape.

NetApp addresses these security concerns with its ONTAP software, delivering integrated data protection and advanced security features. We’re the first storage vendor to explicitly and financially guarantee our data storage offerings against ransomware with the NetApp Ransomware Recovery Guarantee. We’re also one of the first to integrate AI directly into enterprise primary storage to fight ransomware in real-time. Our commitment to data security ensures that organizations can safeguard their most valuable asset – their data – while pursuing their cloud and AI objectives.

The Need for High-Performance Computing & Storage

The report highlights the importance of access to high-performance computing (HPC) and storage as critical to AI success. Businesses are increasingly requiring powerful computational resources to process and analyze vast amounts of data for AI initiatives. Enterprises that are data-ready and can integrate vast structured and unstructured data into an intelligent data infrastructure platform are best equipped to succeed in the age of AI.

NetApp’s AFF A-Series all-flash arrays and hybrid cloud offerings provide the high-speed performance and storage capacity necessary for demanding AI workloads. Paired with our expertise in HPC, NetApp enables businesses to harness the full potential of their AI investments.

The Challenge of Increasing Data Complexity

As data complexity grows, so does the risk of cybersecurity threats and the need for sophisticated management strategies. The report reveals that larger companies rank cybersecurity risk as a top business impact of increasing data complexity.

NetApp’s data management solutions are designed to tackle the complexities of modern data landscapes. Our portfolio includes tools for simplifying data governance, enabling organizations to manage risk effectively while unlocking the value of their data for competitive advantage.

The 2024 Cloud Complexity Report from NetApp sheds light on the critical areas businesses must navigate to succeed in the cloud and AI domains. NetApp stands at the forefront, offering solutions that address the AI divide, automate CloudOps, enhance cybersecurity, provide high-performance computing and storage, and manage increasing data complexity. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, partnering with NetApp equips businesses with the tools they need for innovation and growth.