Partner POV | Modernize with simple, powerful, affordable all-flash block storage

This article was written by John Shirley at NetApp, and contributed by our partner, NetApp.

At NetApp, we want our innovations to add real value. That's why we're committed to understanding our customers' challenges and the broader market trends. Because the amount of data is exploding and IT complexity is on the rise, customers are looking for modern storage solutions that simplify their operations and reduce costs. They also need strategic storage solutions that will help them outpace the competition. However, customers often face a difficult choice: Opt for simple, easy-to-use storage, or invest in advanced data management and protection features—like scale-out clustering, workload balancing, and cloud integration—typically found only in expensive, high-end storage.

But our latest major advance in SAN-optimized storage overcomes this data storage trade-off. Today, we announced the new NetApp ASA A-Series systems, which deliver simplicity without sacrificing advanced data management and protection.

Modern block storage without tradeoffs

With the block-optimized ASA A-Series, NetApp eliminates the need for trade-offs—through simple, powerful all-flash storage with advanced data management and protection features at an extremely affordable price—and enables storage modernization for every organization.

The new ASA A-Series comes in three models—ASA A1K, ASA A90, and ASA A70—each providing the performance and resilience you need to accelerate your VMware and database applications, without sacrificing the simplicity that's essential for block workloads.

The best part: This is all powered by our unified storage OS, NetApp ONTAP® software, and thus is a key element of our comprehensive and fully interoperable portfolio of hybrid cloud storage solutions. Existing customers can leverage their current workflows, APIs, and integrations, and new customers can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with using a proven enterprise-grade storage OS. And because this OS comes from NetApp, it has built-in data protection features that provide you with the most secure storage on the planet.

Three key design principles make the ASA A-Series industry-leading technology: simplicity, power, and affordability. Let's unpack them.

Simple: The new standard in data storage

In a world where complexity is often the norm, simplicity becomes revolutionary. The new ASA A-Series is redefining the approach to modern storage solutions. From deployment to day-to-day management, the ASA A-Series brings industry-leading simplicity across the entire storage lifecycle. You can have storage up and running in minutes, provisioned in seconds, and protected in one click.

To ease adoption, the updated UI incorporates familiar concepts and terminology used by SAN administrators. Essential information and tasks are intuitively placed, streamlining the user experience. Storage units—LUNs and NVMe namespaces—are consolidated on a single page for a cohesive view. Similarly, SAN and NVMe initiators are combined on the Hosts page for a unified view of your storage. Provisioning is straightforward, whether for one or multiple storage units, with workflows that minimize errors for new users.

Additionally, the ASA A-Series is enhanced with built-in full-stack AIOps for predictive and proactive insights, observability, and optimization. It also offers seamless VMware integration, allowing you to manage your ASA instances directly from vCenter, simplifying the data management experience.

It really sets a new standard for simplicity. This ease of use extends into the future, adapting to new storage needs with the NetApp Storage Lifecycle Program, ensuring that your investment is not just for today, but for the long run.

Storage powerful enough for all your critical apps

Earlier this year, we introduced new NetApp AFF A-Series systems—super-powerful and capable of massive scale. Now, we're bringing the same level of strength to the new ASA models, including features like:

• ONTAP optimized for Intel Quick Assist Technology (Intel QAT), which is integrated in Intel's 4th Generation Xeon processors, providing offloading capabilities for inline data reductions with up to 160GB/s write performance.
• PCIe 5.0 and the DDR5 memory delivering faster data transfer rates.
• IPsec or TLS 1.3 – ready encryption offload capability (enabled automatically in future ONTAP software releases) to provide robust end-to-end data encryption with no performance impact.
• Titanium power supplies to maximize energy efficiency.
• and many more…

Power in the context of the ASA A-Series is measured in millions of IOPS and consistent sub-millisecond latency. The ASA A-Series also has guaranteed six-nines availability and is designed for advanced capabilities like scale-out clustering, ransomware recovery, and built-in intelligent data management. The new ASA is built for the demands of modern applications.

Storage modernization accessible for any budget

Affordability shouldn't come at the cost of quality. The new ASA A-Series systems are designed to fit the budgets of businesses of every size, offering an upfront 25%–50% price advantage and better lifetime TCO compared to other storage vendors. Furthermore, our deep integration with VMware, along with advanced data management features, helps you reduce your overall virtualization licensing spending.

ASA also delivers better raw-to-effective capacity for any workload. We back it up with our always-on 4:1 Storage Efficiency Guarantee. Coupled with reduced operational overhead, ASA provides a solution that not only saves money upfront but continues to deliver savings over time.

Storage modernization is within reach

With the new ASA A-Series, businesses of every size have access to industry-leading simplicity, powerful high-end capabilities, and unmatched affordability—all in a single product.

The new AFF A-Series systems are available for quoting today and will begin shipping shortly. They can be acquired through traditional capex purchase or as a service with the NetApp Keystone® portfolio, enabling organizations to align IT expenditure to specific business needs.