NetApp AFF systems are all-flash storage arrays designed to deliver high performance, low latency storage for mission-critical enterprise workloads. AFF stands for All Flash FAS, indicating these are all-flash versions of NetApp’s FAS storage platforms. The AFF family includes the AFF A-Series, optimized for small to midsize deployments, and the AFF FAS flagship enterprise-class arrays.
The key value proposition of AFF is to bring the performance benefits of all-flash storage to traditional enterprise workloads like databases, virtualized environments, and server virtualization. AFF arrays are built on NetApp ONTAP data management software, providing advanced data management capabilities like deduplication, compression, snapshots, and clones. AFF enables organizations to consolidate multiple workloads onto high performance flash storage.
According to “NetApp AFF overview” from TR-3928-NetApp Best Practices for Epic, AFF delivers consistent sub-millisecond latency for read-intensive database workloads with integrated data protection and proven 99.9999% availability.
Hardware Costs
The hardware costs for NetApp AFF systems can vary greatly depending on the specific model and configuration. Here is an overview of the cost ranges:
- AFF A-Series: Entry-level all-flash arrays start around $20,000 for the AFF A220 with 12 drives. The midrange AFF A800 can run from $85,000 to $150,000. High-end AFF A700s start around $200,000.
- FAS8000: NetApp’s high-end hybrid array starts around $150,000.
- Additional disk shelves and flash drives add significant cost. For example, a disk shelf with 24 SSDs can add $50,000 or more.
According to NetApp’s price list (https://itprice.com/netapp-price-list/aff.html), an AFF A220 with 12 3.8TB SSDs in a flash bundle is priced at $85,490. An AFF A800 with 24 1.92TB SSDs is listed at $150,582.
The scalability of the AFF systems allows for many sizing options. The AFF A220 can scale from 12 drives up to 24 drives with disk shelves. The AFF A800 scales up to 368 drives. So there is significant flexibility to right-size a system for current needs and future growth.
Software Licenses
NetApp offers different ONTAP licensing options depending on your storage needs. The legacy 7-Mode ONTAP is licensed per storage controller, while the more advanced Clustered ONTAP is licensed based on capacity tiers.
Clustered ONTAP has four license levels:
- FAS – Entry-level for smaller deployments
- Premium – Mid-range enterprise storage
- Flash Pool – All-flash storage pools
- FabricPool – Tiering to public cloud storage
Additional NetApp software carries extra licensing fees, such as:
- SnapMirror – For replication and disaster recovery
- FlexClone – For space-efficient snapshots and clones
- SnapVault – Disk-to-disk backup
- SnapLock – Write Once Read Many (WORM) data retention
So while ONTAP itself may seem affordably priced, all the additional data management software from NetApp adds up quickly. Enterprises with extensive data protection and retention needs could end up paying quite a lot in software licensing.
Maintenance and Support
NetApp offers comprehensive maintenance and support options to ensure maximum uptime and performance for AFF systems. This includes access to technical support experts as well as hardware maintenance and replacement when needed.
All NetApp systems come with AutoSupport, which proactively monitors the health of your storage environment and automatically sends alerts to NetApp technical support when certain conditions are detected. This enables issues to be preempted and resolved before they cause downtime.
NetApp also provides 24/7 phone support with remote technical experts to quickly troubleshoot and diagnose problems. Support entitles customers to same-day or next-day onsite hardware repair and replacement through NetApp’s extensive global infrastructure and field service personnel.
The exact services included depend on the specific support level purchased with the AFF system. Higher levels provide faster response times and advanced capabilities like risk avoidance analysis and accelerated escalation.
Professional Services
NetApp offers a range of professional services to help organizations implement, migrate to, and get trained on NetApp storage systems. Some key professional services include:
Implementation and Deployment Services
NetApp provides comprehensive implementation and deployment services to get your NetApp environment up and running smoothly. Professional services engineers work with your team to install and configure NetApp systems based on leading practices and your unique requirements. Services range from basic hardware installation to full solution design and implementation. According to discussions on Reddit, NetApp professional services for installation can cost around $50,000 for a full deployment.
Migration Services
NetApp offers migration services to help transition data and workloads from legacy storage systems onto NetApp. Experts can assist with planning, design, and executing the migration, ensuring continuity of operations and minimizing downtime. NetApp’s Data Migration Service provides an automated toolset to simplify terabyte-to-petabyte-scale migrations.
Training and Certification
NetApp provides training courses and certifications on its products and solutions. Options range from free online training to intensive classroom bootcamps. Certifications include the NetApp Certified Data Administrator (NCDA), NetApp Certified Hybrid Cloud Administrator (NCHC), and more. Training helps IT staff gain the expertise needed to properly manage and utilize NetApp environments.
Cloud Options
NetApp offers two main cloud options: Cloud Volumes ONTAP and Cloud Storage. Cloud Volumes ONTAP allows you to run NetApp’s ONTAP data management software in the cloud. This provides the full capabilities of ONTAP, including data protection, disaster recovery, and storage efficiencies. Cloud Volumes ONTAP is priced based on provisioned storage capacity per month. For AWS, the list price ranges from $0.10/GB for 10TB up to $0.044/GB for 500TB and above. Azure and GCP have similar pricing.
NetApp Cloud Storage provides file and object storage services, fully managed by NetApp. Pricing is consumption-based, charged for actual storage used per month. For AWS, NetApp Cloud Volumes Service for AWS starts at $0.085/GB per month. Additional charges apply for Snapshot copies, replication, and data transfers.
NetApp offers a range of cloud support options, including pay-as-you-go support or prepaid support packages. Professional services are also available to help plan, design, implement, optimize, and manage your cloud environments.
For full details on NetApp’s cloud pricing, refer to: https://www.techjockey.com/detail/netapp-cloud
Total Cost of Ownership
The total cost of ownership (TCO) for NetApp AFF storage solutions includes hardware, software licenses, support fees, and professional services over a typical 3-5 year period. According to NetApp’s own TCO calculator, AFF solutions can deliver significant TCO savings compared to traditional SAN and NAS storage arrays. For example, moving from a legacy FAS/V-Series system to AFF A300 storage reduces 3-year TCO by over 40%.
Key factors driving AFF TCO advantages include:
- All-flash performance at competitive raw capacity costs due to data reduction technologies like deduplication and compression.
- Simplified management and automation reducing administrative overhead.
- Inline data efficiencies minimizing storage footprint and power/cooling needs.
- Lower maintenance fees due to fewer components and moving parts.
According to an IDC whitepaper, NetApp AFF shared storage for big data analytics has up to a 36% lower 5-year TCO than direct-attached storage options. The advanced data management and consolidation capabilities of AFF enable substantial overhead savings versus siloed DAS deployments.
Cost Saving Tips
NetApp offers several built-in technologies designed to help optimize and reduce storage costs on AFF systems:
Data Reduction Technologies
NetApp AFF systems come with inline data compression, deduplication, and compaction technologies that can significantly reduce the physical capacity required to store your data. This allows you to buy less raw storage capacity upfront. According to NetApp, these technologies can provide up to 5:1 data reduction on average for production data, lowering capacity requirements and costs.
Multi-Protocol Support
AFF systems support multiple protocols including SAN protocols like Fibre Channel and iSCSI as well as file protocols like NFS and SMB. This consolidated support can eliminate the need for separate siloed storage purchases and simplify your environment.
Storage Optimization
Features like NetApp FlexGroup volumes, space-efficient cloning, and storage tiers allow you optimize your AFF storage in various ways. For example, you can tier older or colder data to lower cost storage while keeping hot data on flash. This improves efficiency and lowers the effective $/GB.
Financing Options
NetApp offers flexible financing and payment options to help organizations acquire the technology they need. Leasing through NetApp Financial Services provides payment plans that can match projected business cash flows without major upfront capital investment (NetApp, 2022). Terms range from 12 to 60 months, and leases can cover hardware, software, and services (NetApp, 2022).
NetApp also offers grants and discounts in certain situations. For example, through the NetApp Academic Discount Program, qualified education institutions can receive up to a 30% discount on NetApp storage systems for research and hands-on learning (NetApp, 2022). Additionally, NetApp partners may qualify for market development funds and rebates when they sell NetApp solutions to new customers (NetApp, 2022).
Conclusion
In summary, NetApp’s AFF storage solutions offer enterprise-level performance and features at a competitive total cost of ownership. While the upfront hardware and software costs may seem high compared to some alternatives, factoring in ongoing licensing, support, maintenance, and professional services reveals AFF’s strong value proposition over the full product lifecycle.
The most significant factors impacting AFF’s TCO include the specific models and configs chosen, capacity optimization features like data compaction and deduplication, support levels required, desired cloud integration, and use of NetApp’s flexible financing options. Carefully evaluating these elements for your unique workload requirements and business objectives is crucial.
Though AFF solutions command premium pricing, the complete return on investment goes beyond just hardware costs. The performance, scalability, reliability, and data management value AFF delivers can rapidly pay off through enhanced productivity, risk reduction, and future-proofed infrastructure. Weighing total cost against total benefit makes clear that AFF provides enterprise SAN and NAS capabilities cost-effectively.
