NetApp is expanding its collaboration with Google Cloud by integrating block storage functionality with Google Cloud NetApp Volumes. At the same time, integrations with Gemini Enterprise are being introduced to better support AI applications.
NetApp is deepening its partnership with Google Cloud by adding block storage to NetApp Volumes. This lets users manage both file and block storage within a single NetApp service on the cloud platform.
The Flex service now supports iSCSI alongside the existing NFS and SMB NAS protocols. As a result, organizations can host virtual environments and databases in Google Cloud without overhauling their infrastructure. The block storage functionality is available on request starting today.
With this, NetApp is targeting companies that want to centralize their workloads in the cloud while maintaining flexibility in storage protocols. Customers also get access to features like snapshots and replication to better manage their data.
Gemini Integration
NetApp Volumes is also being more tightly integrated with Gemini Enterprise. This allows AI applications to work directly with data from NetApp Volumes without additional code or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines. The feature is currently available in preview for interested customers. NetApp believes this can improve the quality and reliability of AI output by using contextual data from trusted sources.
Finally, NetApp is introducing new FlexCache capabilities that simplify data access across multiple environments. Organizations can make their entire hybrid cloud data platform—on-premises and in the cloud—accessible in Google Cloud. Through SnapMirror, they can migrate data and snapshots between environments for scenarios such as cloud migration, disaster recovery, or workload balancing.
The announcement comes alongside NetApp’s simultaneous introduction of an AI Data platform, based on its own hardware and a partnership with Nvidia. NetApp is also expanding Ontap’s security capabilities with AI-driven data breach detection.