NetApp has announced availability of its public cloud file storage service, Azure NetApp Files, for government agencies and the public sector, according to a prepared statement.
Azure NetApp Files eliminates barriers to cloud-first requirements, easing migration of enterprise file applications to the cloud, and securely runs critical applications for federal, Department of Defense, and state and local agencies and government data center regions that have strict federal security and regulatory compliance requirements, the company said.
The 2019 Federal Cloud Computing Strategy, nicknamed Cloud Smart, is a long-term, high-level strategy to drive cloud adoption in federal agencies, according to US CIO Suzanne Kent.
This new strategy, the first cloud policy update in seven years, aims to achieve savings, improve security, and allow federal, state and local agencies to deliver faster services through migration to secure cloud infrastructure.
Cloud Smart outlines best practices drawn from both the government and private sector, including the use of enterprise-class technology solutions, to better serve agency missions, drive improved citizen services and increase cyber security, according to the US CIO's web site.
Azure NetApp Files is securely architected into government virtual networks and integrated into Microsoft Azure, which allows agencies to move and deploy their heaviest enterprise file applications without code changes and provision workloads through existing Azure agreements without additional licensing, NetApp said in the statement.
FedRAMP High Baseline-level Authorization
With Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) High Baseline level authorization, the service meets the most stringent security requirements for high-impact unclassified data in the cloud, NetApp said.
Azure NetApp Files also offers three levels of performance so customers and users can optimize application performance according to their needs, according to the statement. The result is a flexible cloud service supporting multi-protocol workloads that can be tailored to fit customers’ hybrid data environments, while scaling storage and service levels based on required speed, NetApp said.
Fulfilling the 'Cloud-first' Mandate
“Combining nearly three decades of NetApp’s extensive experience in data management and storage with Microsoft’s forward-looking capabilities of Microsoft Azure gives government customers the ability to fulfill the government’s cloud-first mandate simply, reliably, and securely,” said Anthony Lye, senior vice president and general manager of the NetApp Cloud Data Services business unit in the statement.
“By combining the scale and reach of Microsoft Azure with NetApp’s Cloud Volumes technology coupled, customers can achieve new value with Azure NetApp Files,” according to Lily Kim, general manager, Azure Global at Microsoft. “With deployment into our government data center regions, government customers can have another great option to migrate and run applications in the cloud with powerful data management capabilities.”
Deployment of Azure NetApp Files to government data center regions began in Virginia, followed by deployments in Arizona and Texas.
