New, Simple Converged Infrastructure from NetApp & Fujitsu
The nature of data management by businesses has gone through a major transformation. The increasing adoption of private, public, and hybrid clouds have brought upon the responsibility for enterprises to manage data that is ever dynamic, distributed, diverse, and in both structured and unstructured forms.
Organizations must accomplish the free exchange of data by utilizing IT resources on the premises, off-premise, and even remote locations. The unrestricted movement of data enables enterprises to get rid of silos and makes the Administrators free to realize the true potential of their data.
We have heard a lot about hyper convergent infrastructure (HCI) which can achieve all of the above mentioned tasks effectively. But not all companies are ready or have the resources to go for HCI.
NetApp offers relief to such companies with their simple yet high performance converged infrastructure. It comes complete with a Data Fabric for present day data management requirements and makes it simple to manage IT and data resources.
NFLEX Converged Infrastructure Platform
NetApp has worked in collaboration with Fujitsu over their 20 year partnership expanding over 100 years of engineering efforts in data centers solutions. The partnership had lead to the development of a robust ad hassle free data center platform based on the advanced computing platform of the Fujitsu server PRIMERGY CX. It is powered by the trademark OS driving the entire All Flash FAS storage systems NetApp, Ontap.
Highly capable data centers can make use of the simple, highly effective solutions than can be optimally used for mission-critical applications.
To cut down on the efforts and costs for enterprises, NetApp provides a wide range of preconfigured, pretested, and pre-validated systems. NetApp and Fujitsu are responsible for providing a single point of support.
The system comes VMware ready thanks to Fujitsu while Extreme Network switching takes care of the network connectivity. The simple converged infrastructure includes preconfigured expansion packs, modular sizing integrated management, and single-call support. The technology reduces the time to market, reduces cost, and helps in strategic business decisions.
The NFLEX system will be commercially available from 2018 in places like Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
A look at the NFLEX Hardware
You can purchase the NFLEX in three customizable versions- M30, M50, and M70. The basic configuration separates the three models from each other.
The basic M30 comes with 4 PRIMERGY CX2650 servers, 12 960GB SSDs in All Flash FAS A200. The top of the class M70 is equipped with 12 Fujitsu PRIMERGY CX2650 servers and 12 3.8TB SSDs AFF A300. The storage and computing nodes are connected through two Extreme VDX6740 switches.
The NFLEX can be scaled seamlessly according to the requirements of the enterprise. You can upgrade the RAM in the M30 and M50 from 384GB to 1024GB. For the M70, the memory ranges from 384GB to 1636 GB. You can scale via 16 PRIMERGY CX2650 nodes and accommodate 48 disks to the AFF storage systems.
The system also utilizes the high-density Fujitsu PRIMERGY CX400 M4 x86 servers and the ServerView Infrastructure Manager (ISM) from the same company. NetApp also provides ONTAP as the data management software. The use of cutting edge hardware and high performance software offers an enriched customer experience.
The systems can be customized according to enterprise requirements and objectives. Configurations are available with different server nodes, types of storage, capacity of storage, and memory. NFLEX can also be blended with current IT infrastructure if possible.
Benefits of NFLEX
Other than the simplicity, the infrastructure offers a host of benefits to the organizations:
Less Downtime and Availability
NetApp AFF storage can eliminate planned downtime and offer high availability. Even the Fujitsu PRIMERGY CX servers deliver an uptime of 99.997%.
It creates a string infrastructure where your business doesn’t lose money and productivity due to an outage.
Industry Specific Solutions
Racked or unracked- NFLEX is available in both versions. They are configured and go through rigorous testing at the lab to meet the highest standards.
The system is then customized according to client specifications and offers a simplified experience.
Helpful Extensions
The state of the art and familiar hardware components and software take it to a different level. Being powered by the VMware vSphere, a single vCenter plugin can manage all the hardware components. This eliminates the trouble of learning new ways to control the system.
Customers can also use the platform with confidence as the Fujitsu Software ServerView Infrastructure Manager (ISM) is suitable to manage the NFLEX solution.
How can NetApp change the Data Management Scenario?
The strategic agendas of many corporations around the world have cited digital transformation as their priority. The huge amount of data generated from all verticals is getting difficult to analyze and to derive value from.
NFLEX can become the perfect solution in this case, bringing ease of purchase, deployment, support, and operations. Another vital aspect is the transformation to cloud, which can be done easily through something comprehensive as NFLEX.
Both NetApp and Fujitsu realized the need of the changing business and IT demands. They embarked on developing the next generation of converged data center technology for data centers. The whole world is waiting in anticipation as they expect the solution to answer many challenges like operational efficiency, decreased uptime, productivity, and unsatisfactory relation between different technologies.
The NFLEX will be able to reduce expenses, complexity, and risk in data management. It offers a hassle free experience, improved capabilities and strong confidence from the leading names who have been releasing and solving customer problem for many years.
The NFLEX solution can be ordered both from NetApp and Fujitsu and other vendors in the early months of 2018.
In the days of HCI, which was the hottest trend in 2017, many companies want something simple and effective to manage their data. The NFLEX from NetApp and Fujitsu can play a vital part in offering a fitting solution that drives enterprises on their way to digital transformation and better scope of services.
