Emerging statistics show that storage is not growing as much as the increasing growth rate of data, according to Martyn Molnar, regional director for the Middle East, North and South Africa and Pakistan business of NetApp.
In March, this year, NetApp announced its strategy to transform its brand identity; a move that Molnar said is critical in keeping ahead of its competitors.
"NetApp has been in South Africa since 2000 with much success. The initiatives we are pushing are to bring partners and solutions to the table and benefit all beneficiaries. We are trying to focus on organising a set of relationships with our channel partners, while using data management and solutions to help customers manage their data."
On local trends, Molnar says there are mandates coming through for corporates, and the government, with a demand to build more storage. But according to Molnar, as demand for storage increases, the industry is seeing a decreasing cost per terabyte.
"NetApp is driving more innovation to clients - complementing innovated solutions with an operational view on how to best manage data to meet client demands," says Molnar. "NetApp is going the indirect route and the primary reason for this is to build relationships with our channel partners and customers. It's now about implementing systems integration and by doing sales jointly with our channel partners to build and deliver world-class services."
Molnar adds: "Gone are the days of doing things directly. It's time to innovate a vehicle where others can share the success. There are definitely benefits to be gained when going indirect. NetApp wants to take the best of both worlds by building the proposal, securing the right agreement, solutions and best working relationship."
Molnar is positive about the storage growth in South Africa and points out that NetApp believes its solutions will be well-received from classic enterprise markets like SA.
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