VMblog:  Can you give VMblog readers a quick overview of your company?

Sandra Dunbar:  NetApp is a cloud-led data-centric software company, and the only provider that has a clear path to cloud.  Our customers are moving to the cloud, and can do this easily with NetApp because of our mature cloud services with the leading three cloud providers: AWS, Azure and Google Cloud.  NetApp's data management platform allows for the same great operational experience on-prem and in their cloud of choice.

VMblog:  Your company is sponsoring this year's VMware Explore event.  Can you talk about what that sponsorship looks like?

Dunbar:  NetApp is a Platinum sponsor this year, and  we will be presenting in two sessions and showcasing solutions that meet organizations no matter where they are in their journey to the cloud.

VMblog:  VMware has decided to change the name of the event this year from VMworld to VMware Explore.  With VMworld being such a part of the history, do you have any thoughts on the name change?

Dunbar:  We love the name change. Explore really encourages the customer to delve into all of the possibilities for their business in this multi-cloud world.

VMblog:  What are your thoughts and expectations with the event being in person again instead of just a digital / online event?  Are attendees ready for this?  Do you anticipate the crowd size of VMworld pre-pandemic?

Dunbar:  While staying safe, we are eager to get back to face-to-face with customers and partners.  We anticipate a great turn out for VMware Explore.  VMware has always been able to generate great numbers at their events, and we're looking forward to a fantastic event.

VMblog:  How can attendees of the event find you?  What do you have planned at your booth this year?  What type of things will attendees be able to do at your booth? 

Dunbar:  NetApp is located in booth 802.

We have spent the past 12 months reinvigorating our relationship with VMware and plan to showcase our design partnership integrations at the event from on-prem to a special cloud announcement we will make at the show.  Our booth will consist of demos to meet customers no matter where they are on their journey to the cloud.  We will showcase a new TCO tool tied to our announcement and a mini-theater with presentations on various integrations and partnerships. We have 2 breakout sessions that will be showcasing the new announcement around VMC and AWS and a session focused on containers where our integration with Tanzu and NetApp's Astra Control Center.  We see this event as a great match for us to feature our data management layer with VMware's expertise in workload management.

VMblog:  Do you have any speaking sessions during the event?  If so, can you give us the details?

Dunbar:  The NetApp sessions are:

Rightsizing VMware Cloud Compute and Storage Is No Longer a Dream - Learn How [MCLB2643USS]

Customers today drive high cost and efficiency benefits through VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud for a wide variety of workloads. However, as customers move more data-intensive workloads to the cloud, a new approach was needed to allow customers to purchase and scale cloud storage independently of cloud compute to reduce and control costs. These data-intensive workloads also drive the need for advanced data protection and management services enjoyed by on-premises workloads. Through a close partnership with NetApp, VMware has now enabled the use of NetApp Cloud Services as the first certified, integrated and supported solution for VMware Cloud supplemental datastores, allowing the ability to rightsize cloud computing and storage needs. Learn how this can be done today, and see real-world customer examples and demos.

Speakers:

AJ Mahajan, Senior Director, NetApp

Suzy Visvanathan, Director, Product Management, VMware

Tuesday, Aug 30 at  2:00 PM - 3:00 PM PDT

Optimize and Protect Cloud Native Apps on VMware Tanzu [KUB2644USS]

 As IT organizations seek to harness the value of containers to accelerate app modernization, VMware Tanzu offers a powerful platform to build, deploy and run Kubernetes workloads. This session will review and provide a demo of benefits and best practices to protect VMware Tanzu workloads using NetApp Astra Control, and leveraging VMware vSphere Virtual Volumes for more granular, storage-policy-based management and protection.

Speakers:

Gunna Marripudi, Senior Director of Product Management, NetApp

Naveen Krishnamurthy, Sr. Product Line Manager, VMware

Tuesday, Aug 30 at 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM PDT

VMblog:  What are you personally most interested in seeing or learning at VMware Explore?

Dunbar:  We are excited to see customers and partners in person and learn what VMware will be featuring in their "What's New" session.

VMblog:  Can you give us the high-level rundown of your company's technology offerings?  What kind of message will an attendee hear from you this year?

Dunbar:  NetApp will be featuring solutions for the VMware customers full journey to the cloud whether it be optimizing on-prem, accelerating applications via containers or moving to a hybrid multicloud environment.

VMblog:  Talking about your product solutions, can you give readers a few examples of how your offerings are unique?  What are your differentiators?  What sets you apart from the competition?

Dunbar:  NetApp is truly the only infrastructure company that can offer a clear path to cloud.  Our mature cloud services and deep integrations with VMware are allowing us to meet customer demand for getting workloads and apps to the cloud easily and economically.  With NetApp ONTAP, we offer the same great operational experience on-premises and in the cloud.

VMblog:  What specifically does your company offer a VMware shop or a VMware implementation?  What problems do you solve for them?

Dunbar:  We solve for performance on-prem and are solving cloud migrations for data intensive, storage-heavy VMware workloads.  The choice of cloud is up to the customer - we have solutions for all public cloud providers.

VMblog:  How does your company work with VMware?  Where do you fit within the VMware ecosystem?

Dunbar:  NetApp is a design partner with VMware with many integrations from vSphere on-premises to the hybrid and multicloud environments.

VMblog:  VMworld has typically been a launching platform for new products.  At VMware Explore, will your company be announcing anything new?  If so, can you give us a sneak peek?

Dunbar:  Yes, VMware will feature a new integration in their "What's New" announcement and session ([CEIB1425US] VMware "What's New") and [CEIB3040US] AWS Technical Session (VMC/AWS FSxN), and NetApp will be making an announcement around this as well.  Again, getting data-intensive workloads to the cloud.

VMblog:  VMware will be covering big topics in their keynote, but what big changes or trends do you see taking shape in the industry for 2022 and heading into 2023?

Dunbar:  More cloud, more containers, more effort in making this easier for customers.  NetApp sits in the center of all this with our deep integrations with VMware and the public cloud providers.

VMblog:  Are you giving away any prizes at your booth or participating in any prize giveaways?

Dunbar:  We have prizes and giveaways. We encourage attendees to stop by our booth for a demo, presentation and try the TCO calculator out to see cost savings on migration workloads to the cloud.

VMblog:  Is your company sponsoring any type of party or get together during the event?

Dunbar:  Yes, if you have a VIP meeting with NetApp, you will be invited to our VIP party on August 30^th.  To schedule a VIP meeting, you can sign up here.

Learn more about NetApp VMware solutions here.