NetApp has refreshed the lower part of its all-SAN storage array line with more affordable and powerful systems.
There are two all-flash NetApp array product lines: the AFF (All-flash FAS) unified file and block array A-Series and the ASA (All-flash SAN) block-access-only A-Series. The basic hardware is the same, with the AFF products being upgraded in two phases – first, by new controller processors for the mid-to-high-end systems and, second, for the mid-to-low-end systems a few months later. The ASA models get the same two-step range upgrade some months after the AFF A-Series.
Thus the company refreshed its AFF A-Series product line last year, with the A400, A800, and A900 replaced by the A70, A90, and A1K in May 2024, and the lower-end A150 and A250 succeeded by the A20, A30, and A50 in November.
Sandeep Singh, NetApp Enterprise Storage SVP and GM, claimed: “In less than a year, NetApp has refreshed our entire unified, block-optimized, and object portfolio … We offer systems that are faster, simpler, more scalable, and more affordable than the competition – tailored to any workload or budget.”
NetApp upgraded the mid-to-high-end ASA A-Series in September last year, introducing the A70, A90, and A1K alongside the ASA A400, A800, and A900. Now it has refreshed the mid-to-lower-end segment of the ASA A-Series with the new A20, A30, and A50 models.
The company says: “They are ideal for smaller deployments including remote or branch offices with a starting price as low as $25K.” It claims “upfront costs 30-50 percent lower than competitive systems,” a “better return on investment driven by up to 97 percent lower power consumption, and low operational overhead when modernizing to all-flash ASA.”
Customers can deploy them “in minutes, provision in seconds, and protect with one click.”
The new ASA systems will also be available in a FlexPod converged infrastructure, with pre-tested and validated architectures.
Here is a datasheet table for the ASA A-Series model range;
There is a lot of competition in this area with all-flash SAN-capable products available from Dell, Hitachi Vantara, HPE, Huawei, IBM, and Pure Storage. NetApp said it was increasing its wallet share among customers with its all-flash products in its FY 2025 second quarter results last November. These three new ASA A-Series products should help sustain that momentum.
NetApp said it’s going to increase its ASA product’s cyber-resiliency by providing ONTAP Autonomous Ransomware Protection with artificial intelligence (ARP/AI) for block storage later this year. This update will build on the existing capabilities of ARP/AI, the first real-time threat detection and response for NAS systems, expanding its cyber-resiliency protections to SAN customers. NetApp does not use Index Engines technology in the ARP/AI offering.
It is also launching a Ransomware Detection Confidence Program, saying: “If we miss an attack with our AI-powered ransomware detection, we’ll make sure you don’t experience data loss.” In the event that certain ransomware attacks are not detected, this program assists with recovery using NetApp Professional Services at no initial charge.
There will be more information about the new ASA A-Series products on a NetApp product update webpage and also in a blog post.
