SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwire - Jun 25, 2012) - Today, in recognition of its work helping customers and partners build private cloud solutions on the Microsoft® platform, NetApp (
Awards were presented in multiple categories, with winners chosen from a set of nearly 3,000 entrants worldwide. NetApp was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services in Private Cloud Partner of the Year. NetApp was also named a finalist in the Virtualization and Management award category. Winners will be honored on stage at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto (July 8-12, 2012).
In response to corporate mandates to do more with less, businesses are changing how they deliver and manage IT services and applications with secure, on-demand private cloud solutions. A recent IDC survey of 679 U.S. IT decision makers indicates that approximately one-third (32%) already have some type of private cloud implementation in production, although most are limited to supporting specific user groups or applications at this time. An additional 37% are in the early stages of implementation and/or planning for a private cloud.(1) Recognizing the dramatic impact of this move on IT, NetApp and its partners have been working with technology leaders, such as Microsoft, to make the promise of cloud computing a reality for business.
NetApp and Microsoft: Breakthrough Collaboration Delivers Breakthrough Solutions
- Storage Is Foundational: With storage as the foundation of a private cloud, NetApp has worked with Microsoft to deliver a solution that enables customers to move from virtualization to a private cloud while reducing the cost of delivering IT services and applications by 50% or more.
- Customers Go further, faster: Customers can enjoy the faster delivery of IT services and applications with the combination of NetApp® storage and the Microsoft private cloud, featuring Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center 2012.
- Increased Agility: With NetApp for Microsoft private cloud solutions, customers can respond faster to changing business needs while enabling high application availability with an agile IT infrastructure.
- FlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud: This reference architecture, which was the first design to be validated by Microsoft for the updated Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track program, with its consolidated guidance enables channel partners to transition customers to the cloud more quickly and with reduced risk.
Customers Build Private Cloud Solutions on NetApp and Microsoft
ING DIRECT
In its award entry, NetApp highlighted recent work with ING DIRECT, the world's largest direct bank. ING DIRECT is known for its innovative online banking offerings; however, an antiquated infrastructure for provisioning development and test environments hindered ING DIRECT's ability to bring new products to market. Despite a business goal of rapidly expanding service offerings, provisioning could take over 12 weeks just to support creation of a development environment.
"As a strategic priority, we needed to deliver innovation faster, so we looked to NetApp and its partners to help speed things up in a smart way," said Andrew Henderson, CIO, ING DIRECT Australia. "With our Microsoft private cloud solution built on FlexPod from NetApp and Cisco we reduced environment provisioning from 12 weeks to 10 minutes, improving developer productivity and business agility. Through the 'Bank in a Box' private cloud solution, we're able to provide anyone in the company with access to applications, services, configurations and 5.5 TB of data, with the assurances that they'll integrate seamlessly with Microsoft standard technologies."
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, selected NetApp for its Microsoft private cloud, meeting the need to provide more flexible services, rapid provisioning, better management tools, and self-service capabilities. This solution, implemented in cooperation with NetApp partner Alantex Corp., included an assessment of the university's existing infrastructure, a custom-designed private cloud roadmap, and advanced integration with System Center 2012 and Windows Server 2008 R2 with Hyper-V.
"We depend on NetApp and our Microsoft private cloud to provide agile, reliable, and stable service to other departments, students, and staff," said Greg Parks, infrastructure architect, University of Waterloo. "The initiative helped us reduce hardware costs and shortened our 'react' time significantly, enabling us to focus on strategic activities for our customers."
Supporting Quotes
- Mike Schutz, General Manager, Windows Server and Management, Microsoft
"Microsoft is pleased to recognize NetApp as the Private Cloud Partner of the Year. Utilizing their comprehensive portfolio of Microsoft private cloud solutions, NetApp aims to enable customers to reduce provisioning time, increase productivity and improve business agility."
- Phil Brotherton, Vice President, Enterprise Software Ecosystem, NetApp
"This recognition underscores the collaboration between NetApp, our partners, and Microsoft in private cloud development. Together, we're helping businesses build flexible and efficient private cloud solutions that not only transition companies to a shared IT infrastructure now, but position them well for the future as IT becomes a catalyst for continued growth and agility."
About the Microsoft Private Cloud Partner of the Year Award
The Private Cloud Partner of the Year Award recognizes the partner that excelled in offering innovative private cloud solutions for their customers based on Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V, Microsoft System Center, and related products. The winner used the Microsoft platform for private cloud computing (for dynamically pooling, allocating, provisioning, and managing cloud resources) including, but not limited to:
- Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V
- Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2
- Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal 2.0
- Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager
- Microsoft System Center Operations Manager
- Microsoft System Center Service Manager
- Opalis
- Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager
Additional Resources
- Learn more about Microsoft Partner Awards: www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/partnernetwork
- Watch a video on how the University of Waterloo implemented Microsoft Cloud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArCouCjOiCg
- Find details on NetApp for the Microsoft private cloud: www.netapp.com/us/solutions/infrastructure/microsoft-cloud.html
- Follow NetApp on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NetApp
- Get the latest on NetApp culture: www.facebook.com/NetAppCulture
- Join NetApp on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NetApp
- View NetApp videos on YouTube: www.youtube.com/NetAppTV
- Connect with NetApp on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=111681
About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that deliver outstanding cost efficiency and accelerate business breakthroughs. Our commitment to living our core values and consistently being recognized as a great place to work around the world are fundamental to our long-term growth and success, as well as the success of our pathway partners and customers. Discover our passion for helping companies around the world go further, faster at www.netapp.com.
NetApp, the NetApp logo, Go further, faster, and FlexPod are trademarks or registered trademarks of NetApp, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft and Windows Server are registered trademarks and Hyper-V is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such. Use of the word "partner" or "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership between NetApp and any other company.
(1) IDC white paper sponsored by Microsoft: "Delivering Private Clouds Today with Microsoft System Center 2012," doc #234109, April 2012
Contact Information:
Press Contact:
Jeremiah Glodoveza
NetApp PR
(408) 822-4567
xdl-uspr@netapp.com