BLOG: NetApp AFF C-Series: Low-Cost, High-Capacity Flash Storage

May 23rd, 2023 BLOG: NetApp AFF C-Series: Low-Cost, High-Capacity Flash Storage
Seth Tollefson
Solutions Architect

 

NetApp has recently announced the NetApp AFF C-Series arrays. This new line of low-cost, high-capacity flash storage targets large-capacity Tier 1 & 2 non-critical workloads that still require optimum performance.

The key features of the NetApp AFF C-Series make it an ideal storage option for the IT infrastructure of businesses of all sizes. This line of arrays can provide a cost-effective and efficient way to modernize and future-proof legacy data centers and branch offices for maximum data protection and workload sustainability.

 

NetApp AFF C-Series Features and Benefits

 

These AFF C-Series arrays offer a variety of features and benefits that improve data storage performance, capacity, power efficiency, and data security.

 

Performance

 

The AFF C-Series all-flash storage systems, based on the newest generation of quad-level cell (QLC) media, is ideal for Tier 1 & 2 high-performance workloads. The large-capacity non-volatile memory express (NVMe) drives can deliver more performance than traditional large-capacity hard disk drive-based (HDD-based) storage arrays.

 

Space Efficiency

 

The AFF C-Series arrays support inline data compression, deduplication, and compaction to provide guaranteed storage efficiencies. Using the 15.3TB capacity flash NVMe drives, the arrays can provide up to 1.5PB of effective capacity in 2U.

 

Power Efficiency

 

The AFF C-Series arrays are designed to be highly efficient, with a power draw expected to be 85% less than a traditional HDD-based storage array with similar capacity.

 

Security

 

The AFF C-Series arrays are equipped with a variety of security features, including data encryption, ransomware protection, and intrusion detection.

 

[Image Source: https://www.netapp.com/media/81583-da-4240-aff-c-series.pdf ]

 

Guaranteed Storage Efficiency

 

The NetApp AFF C-Series offers guaranteed storage efficiency so that organizations can be confident that they will be able to store more data in the same amount of physical space. Saving space can lead to significant cost savings in rack space, heating and cooling, and power consumption.

The NetApp AFF C-Series offers the following guaranteed storage efficiencies based on network connectivity protocols and workloads:

  • 4:1 for SAN protocols (FC, NVMe, iSCSI)
  • 1.5:1 for NAS protocols (NFS, SMB, CIFS)
  • 3:1 for VMware, Hyper V, and KVM workloads on NAS

 

Best-in-Class Data Security

 

The NetApp AFF C-Series offers a comprehensive set of data security features that can help to protect your organization’s data from a variety of threats, ensuring high availability. These features include ransomware protection, data encryption, and role-based access control.

 

Ransomware protection

 

The AFF C-Series includes built-in ransomware protection that can help increase cybersecurity by preventing ransomware attacks from encrypting or stealing data.

 

Data encryption

 

The AFF C-Series can encrypt all data at rest and in transit, which can help to protect data from unauthorized access.

 

Role-based access control

 

The AFF C-Series deployment can be configured to use role-based access control, which can help to restrict access to data to authorized users only.

 

Seamless On-Premises Scalability

 

The NetApp AFF C-Series is designed to be easily scalable, both in terms of capacity and performance. Organizations can add more capacity to their AFF C-Series arrays as their data grows, and they can also add more nodes to their arrays to improve performance.

This scalability makes the AFF C-Series a good fit for organizations that need to be able to grow their storage capacity quickly and easily over time. Currently, the larger AFF C-Series arrays can scale to maximum effective capacity of 35PB.

 

Realize Greater Savings by Tiering Cold Data to the Cloud

 

The NetApp AFF C-Series also features the ability to tier cold data to the cloud, providing for greater storage and energy savings. This hybrid cloud simplifies the integration of data management across cloud and on-premises environments in an efficient way.

Integrated data management can preserve on-premises flash storage for more frequently accessed hot data while moving cold data to cost-effective storage to public or private clouds. This tiering across on-premises, private, and public clouds can be easily managed by NetApp BlueXP.

 

[Image Source: https://www.netapp.com/media/81583-da-4240-aff-c-series.pdf ]

More Information

 

As a NetApp Star partner, Mainline Information Systems delivers enterprise storage solutions that are efficient, reliable, and cost-effective. Our top-level partnership assures clients that we maintain the stringent Star partner certification requirements across the NetApp storage family of products, plus we are backed by a strong relationship with the NetApp team. For more information on how we can help you, contact your Mainline Account Representative directly, or reach out to us here with any questions.

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