NetApp unveils its vision on the future of data infrastructure.
Insight Xtra takes place in Evoluon in Eindhoven, a museum building in the shape of a UFO. The iconic location forms the backdrop for an event where more than 600 customers and partners come together to talk about data, AI, and cybersecurity. During the opening, pride immediately resonates in the room. “We had more registrations than ever before.” With this, NetApp not only shows off the popularity of the event, but the European market leader also emphasizes that it wants to tackle important themes.
NetApp focuses on the strategic value of data during this event. “Data is the foundation of transformation,” says Joost van Drenth, Field CTO, during the opening session. Organizations are at a tipping point where technological choices directly determine how future-proof they are. Visitors are addressed as the ‘heroes’ of the digital world, who can make a difference with the right knowledge and infrastructure.
Unified data and embedded intelligence
During the keynote, NetApp outlines a clear vision for the future of data infrastructure. The core message is that data should no longer be fragmented across different platforms.
NetApp is committed to unified storage and a metadata layer for AI applications. “Our vision is simple. You start with unified storage and build a metadata engine on top of that,” emphasizes VP Product Marketing Jeff Baxter. With this, the company wants to help organizations extract value from their data faster, without performing complicated and expensive data migrations.
Cyber resilience is also important in the story. According to NetApp, security has long ceased to be a separate add-on, but is an integral part of the infrastructure. This is demonstrated with an example from an important customer: the European Space Agency. “We use NetApp’s anti-ransomware capabilities. That is why we notice that our cybersecurity is constantly improving and evolving over the years,” it sounds.
Benelux in transition
The intention of this event is more of a focus on the Benelux. Van Drenth emphasizes that NetApp no longer profiles itself as a pure infrastructure supplier. “It doesn’t matter where your data is, whether it’s on-premise, in the cloud, or at the edge. We can extract value from that,” he says. According to him, NetApp’s role is increasingly shifting towards a strategic partner in digital transformation.
Data is the foundation of transformation.
Joost van Drenth, Field CTO
Security is a hot topic for customers. Diliane Snackers, Senior Director Benelux, is clear about this. “Organizations are increasingly realizing that data is the new gold and that this value is only retained if protection is built into the infrastructure as standard.”
AI: slow adoption
AI is of course a common thread throughout the program, but NetApp also paints a realistic picture of the market. “The AI hype has been over for a while, but adoption is still relatively slow,” says Snackers. According to her, the biggest challenge lies in data quality and data management. “If your data is not in order, the quality of your AI will of course not be great either.”
Van Drenth adds an eye-catching figure. “Perhaps only 18 percent of the data that organizations have is actually actively used,” he says. This means that companies are investing in storage and infrastructure, while a large proportion of that data hardly contributes to innovation or decision-making. NetApp sees a clear role here for metadata, classification and automation to make data more usable.
Examples from the region
NetApp shares some customer cases to reinforce that centralized platform. One of the most striking examples comes from TU Delft, where NetApp shares its knowledge and infrastructure in a large-scale HPC and AI project. “A central, shared infrastructure has been chosen so that the university can participate with the top,” Van Drenth explains. Because we bundle computing power and data smartly, we create a platform that accelerates research and simplifies collaboration between faculties.
NetApp is working with Nvidia to make AI infrastructures scalable and ready to use. During the keynote, it is emphasized that this collaboration is structural and not per project. “We work with Nvidia almost weekly on the future of AI infrastructure,” it sounds.
Modernization and skills
In addition to AI and security, the modernization of infrastructure is also high on the agenda. Organizations are migrating to hybrid cloud models, experimenting with containers and looking for flexibility. At the same time, they are struggling with a shortage of specialized IT profiles. “There is a shortage of talent in the market. How do you make the transition easier for customers?” Snackers wonders. For NetApp, the answer lies in automation and user-friendly platforms that make innovation as easy as possible for the end user.
Outlook
Insight Xtra shows that organizations not only want to innovate faster, but that they also want to do so safely and in a controlled manner. NetApp is responding to this with a combination of unified data, built-in security and infrastructure that can handle AI.
Van Drenth sums it up nicely: “Why not ensure that the same euros you are already spending on infrastructure are immediately ready for AI?”
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