How NetApp is Wrapping Google Cloud into Data Fabric

Everyone wants a piece of the Google Cloud right now. 

It's easy to see why. Google is currently providing one of the most popular development clouds in the world, with a marketplace that seems to grow every day. 

When you're responsible for the biggest search engine in the world, and many of the leading technologies in the disruptive landscape, it only makes sense that you'd be providing a highly compelling cloud offering too. Now, NetApp, one of the top data authorities for hybrid cloud, has shown its support for the Google Cloud Platform too. 

NetApp is a company devoted to helping today's data-driven businesses harness the information that they need to make life-changing decisions for the future of their tools, services, and processes. The unique experience that NetApp has in the market, combined with their impressive experience in the multi-cloud field make them a huge contender in today's digital space. 

So, what are they doing with the Google Cloud?

Sewing The GCP into NetApp Data Fabric

Essentially, NetApp has taken the Elements HCI - their software for better data and cloud management and wrapped it up with the Google Cloud Platform to create a more enhanced Data Fabric. The Elements HCI already simplifies the process of upgrading cloud infrastructure with agile solutions for growth, end-to-end automation, and predictable performance management. The addition of the Google Cloud Platform will help NetApp to provide a more robust hybrid multi-cloud environment or operating system via Data Fabric.

The Data Fabric solution is an architecture created and managed by NetApp, which provides consistent capabilities to today's businesses, across a range of on-premise and cloud-based endpoint environments. Ideally, the purpose of Data Fabric is to simplify and consolidate data management processes across various environments to improve and accelerate digital transformation. With Data Fabric, companies can tap into consistent and integrated hybrid solutions for data insights, visibility, access, and control. 

Data Fabric can also give today's companies access to better data security and protection, ensuring company-wide peace of mind. Because Data Fabric is a consumption-based service running in both remote and local data centers, it provides customers with the flexibility and scalability they need in their cloud services. Now, thanks to the implementation of the GCP, users can access cloud environments from a wider range of reputable suppliers. 

How Does Data Fabric Work?

In the Data Fabric environment, consumer sites are seen as quasi regions, with specific services and apps deployed in a chosen cloud. At the same time, actual services for users are delivered as cloud-data services from NetApp, which are products which run, monitor, deploy, maintain, and manage critical solutions in the workplace. 

There are various Cloud Data Services now up and running with NetApp, including the Cloud Volumes HCI, a beta of the Cloud Volumes solution for the GCP, the Cloud Volumes OnTap offering for GCP, and the NetApp Kubernetes service for HCI. The Cloud Volumes services offer things like NFS and CIFS file services. These have now been upgraded to support the Elements HCI product, which is classified as an alternative deployment region. 

The OnTap offerings from Cloud Volumes provides OnTap services in the public cloud environment. This solution is already available for both Microsoft Azure and AWS, and now it will be available for the Google Cloud Platform too. There's also a Volumes service available on-premise, with a pay-per-use, fully managed storage solution included. 

The Net App HCI Product can either be paid for every month or as a pay-as-you-go offering. Additionally, the Sunnyvale crew responsible for building and developing the NetApp portfolio have announced the impending arrival of a Fabric Orchestrator toolset. This kit will help customers to find, automate, and manage their data, whether it's in the major public clouds, on-premise, or anywhere else. 

For those who need additional insights into their data strategy, NetApp will also be providing the option to purchase NetApp Cloud Insights. This SaaS tool provides infrastructure monitoring services on a freemium basis. You can find out how to optimize costs and improve performance for no extra charge on the basic edition, or on NetApp systems with AFF and HCI environments. The service also includes placement optimisation and monitoring for the NetApp Kubernetes service, HCI environment, and real-time insights.