Bernd,
It is true that NetApp has discontinued the development of new features for the VTL product. However, the product continues to be available on our price list and we are committed to supporting customers that are using the VTL as part of their backup infrastructure. The statement that we provided for the article referenced in your post follows:
NetApp decided to adjust investment in its NetApp VTL product line to better align resources to market opportunities and demands. We shifted some of the resources from our NetApp VTL development organization toward technologies that best serve our customer base and market demand such as virtualization and ITaaS solutions. Therefore, our current investment in NetApp VTL is focused on helping our current customers be successful in their existing deployments and implementations. Customers will still be able to order NetApp VTL, as it will remain a price list item and will be quotable by NetApp and NetApp resellers.
If you are interested in a deeper discussion on the topic, please reach out to your local NetApp team.
Thanks,
Jim
