Guess what? We are back with our StorageGRID Ansible modules! The last update was in Feb 2024, and now, a year later, we have just dropped the 21.14.0 update. We are excited to be actively developing these modules again as they have helped so many customers. ... View more

Google Cloud NetApp Volumes is a fully managed file storage service that reaches customers across all regions in Google Cloud though the Flex service level. To further strengthen the NetApp® data management portfolio and in turn our customers’ data protection mechanisms, we are excited to share with you the preview launch of integrated backup for the Flex service level. (Integrated backup already exists for our other service levels on NetApp Volumes.)   What is the Flex service level?   The Flex service level in NetApp Volumes brings together the data hosting and management features of NetApp ONTAP® to run on Google’s cutting-edge infrastructure. The Flex service level enables customers to start with volumes as small as 1GiB and grow up to 100TiB in capacity while delivering advanced data management and protection capabilities in the form of Snapshot™ copies, volume clones, cross-region replication, and regional volumes. Integrated backup functionality is a new addition to this rich set of features.   Why is this new capability important?   The Flex service level delivers global availability of data management to customers, and it is also responsible for protecting data no matter where it resides. Backup is a foundational data protection mechanism, which ensures that critical information can be recovered in case of cyberattacks, accidental deletion, data corruption, or for any other reason.   With an integrated backup solution, customers can protect their data by using a built-in service without the need for any third-party software or agents to be installed. All they need to do is choose the volume to back up, designate a destination vault for the backups to reside in, and set a schedule for the backup interval. Then the data is backed up to a Backup vault following an incremental-forever approach.   How does integrated backup work?   Select a volume to back up and then navigate to the Backups section.     If a Backup vault has not been provisioned in the same region where the volume resides, you are prompted to create one. Provide a name and the location/region.   With your vault created, return to the Backup section, where you now have an option to initiate an on-demand backup or assign a backup policy to set up a schedule-based protection plan.     A typical approach is to enable schedule-based protection, for which you need to create a backup policy.   With the policy created, select Assign Volume to assign your volume to this protection plan.   You have now successfully enabled integrated backup on your NetApp Volume running on the Flex service level.   For a step-by-step guide to implement integrated backup that also includes the restore workflow, watch this demonstration -  https://media.netapp.com/video-detail/5424ef3d-2026-5d15-a9c7-78f6a355cd3a/integrated-backup-for-flex-service-level-in-google-cloud-netapp-volumes  Conclusion   Backup is an integral part of every organization’s data-protection framework, and it takes a lot of planning and execution to get it right every time. Often, laborious and complicated deployments of backup appliances and client agent configurations are required to set up the initial environment and for continued operations. In contrast to this complexity, integrated backup for NetApp Volumes delivers an agentless and minimalist approach to implement enterprise-grade data protection for your business-critical data.   Integrated backups for volumes in the Flex service level is available now as public preview. You can find additional information on backups in NetApp Volumes in the product documentation.   ... View more

NetApp® SnapDiff® is now available with Veeam Data Platform for NAS backups ... View more

This ESG (Enterprise Strategy Group) technical evaluation provides a comprehensive analysis of BlueXP, highlighting its transformative potential for enterprises navigating the complexities of hybrid and multicloud environments. The report underscores the pressing need for streamlined data management solutions. As organizations grapple with vast amounts of data across diverse environments, the importance of efficient backup, classification, and tiering services cannot be overstated. BlueXP emerges as a frontrunner, offering a cohesive approach that addresses these critical facets with unparalleled efficacy. ... View more

Use Google Cloud IAM securely and enable the principle of least privilege by creating your own custom roles for Google Cloud NetApp Volumes!   Learn how to set up custom roles for administering NetApp Volumes by job function, using a backup administrator as an example.  ... View more