What to expect from NetApp Insight 2024
The Computer Weekly Developer Network is off to Las Vegas for NetApp INSIGHT 2024. With three full days of technical training, keynotes & breakouts and a chance to question the N-powered glitterati on what really makes the company tick, we’re keen to get a new level of insight into how the organisation operates and aims to lead in its market – so then, what can we expect?
The company says attendees will get the chance to dive into diverse customer stories to discover new ways to use (okay, they said leverage) NetApp solutions.
“Engage in discussions about use cases that matter most to you. Elevate your expertise with in-depth technical content, training and certifications. Unlock the potential of intelligent data infrastructures,” is the central promise from NetApp.
Undoubtedly the most important three words there are ‘intelligent data infrastructures’… but what would that phrase mean in practical deployment terms?
Platform place & protocol
As noted by the Futurum Group here, “NetApp’s platform is structured to manage a data infrastructure that crosses the many boundaries of place and protocol, such that the processes and procedures are similar or the same. On-premises, off-premises, block, file, object; data security/resiliency etc. It is not that they have built the ‘god-box’ [a magical tool to realise all dreams] but that their three planes – data, metadata and services – built over decades can deliver comprehensive, integrated data infrastructure. This provides a differentiation by offering consistent operating systems and hardware integration, needed for seamless management across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.”
To put that into even more encapsulated terms, the NetApp of today (and let’s remember that the firm has been around since 1992) is an organisation that straddles core competencies in:
- Unified data storage
- Integrated data services
- CloudOps solutions
Those integrated data services manifest themselves as integrated data management software and services that work together to provide a feature-rich and consistent experience across on-premises and cloud environments.
The intelligent data infrastructure theme will be covered in depth by NetApp CEO, George Kurian who opens the conference programme with the Day 1 keynote. Other NetApp execs including President, César Cernuda and Chief Product Officer, Harv Bhela will also make keynote appearances on the other days, with NVIDIA also getting in on the action on Day 3.
Featured as part of the main technical programme at NetApp INSIGHT 2024 are the following product groups: NetApp AFF C-Series (lowest entry capacity for unified storage with all-flash), Cyber Resilience (secure storage with data protection), AI-Enabled Data Storage (AI for an intelligent data infrastructure), Data Storage
(intelligent data infrastructure options)… and Enterprise SAN Solutions (modern block storage with speed & security).
Tracking the tracks
In 2024 NetApp INSIGHT will offer some 22 different conference tracks for conference goers (and that means customers, partners and indeed NetApp employees where time allows) to dip into almost two dozen technology zones.
Those tracks break down as AI & analytics; storage for Kubernetes; BlueXP (technology designed to provide unified control of storage and data services to support an intelligent data infrastructure, across your hybrid multi-cloud); cyber-resilience & ransomware; cloud volumes ONTAP and cloud insights.
NetApp ONTAP
NOTE: NetApp ONTAP is a storage software tool with capabilities such as an intuitive GUI, REST APIs with automation integration, AI-informed predictive analytics and corrective action, non-disruptive hardware upgrades and cross-storage import.
Into the other conference tracks we find enterprise apps & databases; Flash; converged infrastructure; keystone; object storage; virtualisation and VMware solutions; ONTAP; AWS; Google Cloud; Microsoft Azure; NetApp on NetApp; get certified; Instaclustr; Spot by NetApp and data protection.
As we would expect, customers feature prominently on the programme. A series of three panel sessions will see organisations as diverse as Asos, Porsche Motorsport, Anaplan, T-Systems and the European Institute of Oncology dive into what NetApp calls the 6 S’ – smarts, security, sustainability, savings, simplicity and scalability.
Customer breakout sessions give users the opportunity to share their technical expertise and experiences with NetApp technology. Confirmed sessions so far include Yale University, Banco do Brasil, Boston University, Kyndryl, Chevron, Dreamworks and Pixar.
Reflecting on NetApp INSIGHT 2023 (as this is surely a good benchmark for what we can expect to see expanded upon in 2024) CDW’s Kyle Davies listed key themes for the event as:
- A need to have a cohesive data strategy where data transformation is a unified cross-functional effort with people, processes and technology.
- A need to consider data as a product in its own right i.e. in scenarios where organisations commonly create domain data or data silos, they should be treating data as a single source for multi-use.
- A need to utilise a modern data architecture – which in this case means working to transform the right parts of an organisation’s data architecture as it also consolidates and simplifies other parts for agility.
As NetApp’s own Jeff Baxter noted at the close of last year’s event, “We’re reaching new heights in simplicity, savings and sustainability in block storage as part of the NetApp unified data storage portfolio. We’re making storage-as-a-service easier to consume. With yet more innovations, we’re continuing our mission to be the most secure enterprise storage on the planet. And we’re improving on the best hybrid multi-cloud data pipeline for artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) and generative AI.”
Sponsor selection
Key sponsors for NetApp INSIGHT 2024 include CDW, Cisco and World Wide Technology (WWT). Others include CGI, CGT, Prolion and Cleondris. Intel is also at the show as a silver sponsor.
A full session catalogue is available and we expect to see a more formalised agenda closer to the event. A live stream is also available for users who can not attend.
