Enterprises want Microsoft Azure-consistent operations without giving up control of their data. Azure Local with NetApp® external storage brings Azure-native services into your data center with the scale, performance, and data protection that your enterprise relies on.    Microsoft announced today support for external storage, and NetApp has been selected as a key partner, integrating NetApp ONTAP® based solutions. With NetApp technology, your organization can scale compute and storage independently; protect workloads; and use the same Azure tools, such as Azure Policy, Monitor, and Update Manager, for unified management across core, edge, and cloud.    If your organization is reevaluating VMware due to licensing changes, this collaboration brings together Microsoft’s modular compute platform and NetApp’s resilient storage, to offer a credible path forward for your evolving virtualization strategies.    Microsoft and NetApp are bringing the flexibility of Azure to where your data lives. Whether you are modernizing your data center, preparing for hybrid cloud, or operating at the edge, Azure Local with NetApp can help you move forward with consistency, control, and confidence.    Joint value proposition  Enterprise scale for Azure Local. Extend Azure Local clusters with data center–class NetApp storage to support larger, more demanding workloads.  Hybrid consistency and choice. Manage, migrate, and protect your data seamlessly across on-premises ONTAP, NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP®, and Azure NetApp Files storage.  Operational familiarity. Use Azure-native management and update tools while gaining the efficiencies, encryption, and cyber resilience of NetApp solutions.    Use cases  Transitioning from VMware to Azure Local with enterprise storage continuity  Building hybrid and edge-to-cloud strategies with consistent Azure operations  Running large, Microsoft-centric VM estates that need high performance and predictable scaling  Improving operations in industries such as healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and the Public Sector, and in any industry that demands compliance with data residency and other regulations, as well as low-latency performance    NetApp and Microsoft are collaborating to bring this capability to general availability. Early participants will help shape the roadmap and best practices for enterprise deployments.    Join the Azure Local + NetApp preview  We are inviting a limited number of customers to join the preview of Azure Local with external storage from NetApp. If you already run (or plan to deploy) Azure Local and can validate with Fibre Channel over a short pilot window, contact your NetApp account team.  Participants will receive guided setup, reference architecture, and direct feedback sessions with our joint engineering teams.    Safe Harbor Statement: Any unreleased services or features referenced in this blog are not currently available and may not be made generally available on time or at all, as may be determined in NetApp’s sole discretion. Any such referenced services or features do not represent promises to deliver, commitments, or obligations of NetApp and may not be incorporated into any contract. Customers should make their purchase decisions based upon services and features that are currently generally available.  ... View more

Accelerate and protect your block workloads in Azure   As a part of Microsoft Ignite 2025, NetApp ® Cloud Volumes ONTAP ® for Azure is introducing powerful enhancements that redefine performance, security, and flexibility for block workloads in Azure. These updates optimize speed and resilience, and they also strengthen data protection, helping you run mission-critical applications with confidence.   Additionally, we’re excited to announce an upcoming private preview that will give selected customers early access to these innovations. Stay tuned to learn how you can accelerate, protect, and future-proof your Azure block workloads with the latest from NetApp.   Enhanced performance with new VM families   With NetApp ONTAP ® 9.18.1 data management software, Cloud Volumes ONTAP for Azure will support new virtual machine families that are optimized for end-to-end block (NVMe/TCP) and file workloads, all managed seamlessly through NetApp Console. This upgrade delivers: Improved performance and reduced latency across both block and file storage. Significant gains for enterprise applications, enabling faster response times and smoother operations across diverse I/O profiles in cloud environments. For organizations running high-performance databases, analytics, or transactional systems, these enhancements mean greater agility and reliability in the cloud.   Stronger security with VNet encryption   Also new in ONTAP 9.18.1, Azure VNet encryption at the infrastructure layer will: Strengthen security for sensitive workloads. Enhance application resilience so that data remains protected even under demanding conditions. This feature adds another layer of protection for enterprises that prioritize compliance and data integrity in hybrid or multi-cloud environments.   Seamless hybrid cloud mobility with block-based workloads in Azure   The NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP and Microsoft Azure VMware Solution (AVS) integration will enable customers to: Extend or migrate block-based iSCSI VMware workloads to Azure with minimal disruption. Leverage automated workflows to streamline VMDK migration, reduce costs, and accelerate time to value for enterprise cloud initiatives. Private preview: Late 2025/Early 2026. This integration simplifies hybrid cloud strategies, making it easier for organizations to move or extend VMware workloads without rearchitecting applications, saving time and reducing risk.   Why it matters   These enhancements empower organizations to: Run high-performance, block workloads confidently in Azure. Protect critical data with advanced encryption. Simplify cloud migration for VMware environments, reducing complexity and cost. Whether you’re modernizing infrastructure, scaling applications, or planning a hybrid cloud strategy, Cloud Volumes ONTAP delivers the speed, security, and flexibility you need to succeed.   Get ready for what’s next   We’re inviting customer nominations for participation in the upcoming private preview for the Cloud Volumes ONTAP + AVS integration (coming in late 2025/early 2026). Participants will gain early access to the integration and personalized white-glove onboarding, as well as a unique opportunity to directly influence the final feature set before public release. As a participant, you will commit to a biweekly, 30-minute product and architecture call with our product and engineering teams, giving you a direct voice in shaping this joint solution and influencing our roadmap. Interested? To get started, contact your NetApp sales representative or our product lead, Michal Gliksman. ... View more

By @hnikhil and @ms73385, Software Engineers at NetApp ... View more

This article explores how the AWS Cloud Game Development Toolkit (CGD Toolkit) backed by FSx for ONTAP storage provides an optimized solution for game development. Find out how it streamlines development workflows and game code repositories and speeds up game development iterations.  ... View more

Vector search was supposed to be the big answer to RAG retrieval. It made things faster, but not necessarily smarter. The more teams tried to use it for audits or compliance, the more it broke down under real-world demands. You can’t tell an auditor “the cosine score said so” and expect that to count as evidence. That’s where DocumentRAG comes in. It brings back structure and transparency using BM25 and explicit signals instead of opaque embeddings—so retrieval becomes something you can actually explain.   Right now, the AI world is shifting toward trust, observability, and grounded answers. GraphRAG is leading that charge, but it’s heavy to run in production. DocumentRAG hits the same goals using OpenSearch, minus the overhead. If you’ve been struggling with vector drift, audit trails, or explainable retrieval, this post walks through why DocumentRAG might be the bridge you’ve been looking for. ... View more