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In today’s data-driven world, enterprises demand high-performance, scalable, and secure storage solutions to support their mission-critical applications. Azure NetApp Files (ANF) is Microsoft Azure’s enterprise-grade file storage service that delivers exactly that. Built on NetApp’s proven ONTAP technology and deeply integrated into the Azure ecosystem, ANF offers a powerful solution for organizations looking to run file-based workloads in the cloud without compromising on performance or reliability.
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What is Azure NetApp Files?
Azure NetApp Files is a fully managed file storage service designed for enterprise workloads that require high throughput and low latency. It supports NFS (v3 and v4.1), SMB, and dual-protocol access, making it ideal for a wide range of applications, including SAP, databases, VDI, and high-performance computing (HPC).
Unlike traditional cloud storage services, ANF is natively embedded in Azure, meaning it doesn’t require any additional setup or third-party integrations. Users can provision volumes directly from the Azure portal, CLI, or API, and integrate them seamlessly with their existing Azure resources.
Key Features
- Performance Tiers
ANF offers three performance tiers to suit different workload requirements:
– Standard: Suitable for general-purpose file shares and dev/test environments.
– Premium: Ideal for latency-sensitive applications like databases and analytics.
– Ultra: Designed for the most demanding workloads, such as HPC and large-scale SAP deployments.
Users can dynamically change performance tiers without downtime, offering flexibility and cost optimization.
- High Availability and Durability
ANF provides 99.99% availability SLA and ensures data durability through redundant storage architecture.
- Security and Compliance
Security is a top priority with ANF. It supports:
– Encryption at rest and in transit
– Active Directory integration
– Role-based access control (RBAC)
– VNet integration and private endpoints
- Snapshot and Backup
ANF supports instant snapshots for data protection and rapid recovery. These snapshots are space-efficient and can be used for cloning environments or restoring data without impacting performance.
Benefits of Using Azure NetApp Files
- Simplified Management
As a fully managed service, ANF eliminates the need for manual storage provisioning, patching, and maintenance. This allows IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than infrastructure management.
- Scalability
ANF can scale from a few gigabytes to multiple petabytes, supporting both vertical and horizontal scaling. This makes it ideal for growing businesses and dynamic workloads.
- Consistent Performance
With guaranteed throughput and low latency, ANF ensures consistent performance for critical applications, even under heavy load.
Network Architecture and Access
Azure NetApp Files volumes are deployed within a dedicated subnet known as a delegated subnet inside your Azure Virtual Network (VNet). This specialized subnet is exclusively reserved for Azure NetApp Files, ensuring a secure and isolated environment with no direct internet connectivity.
Access to these volumes is highly flexible:
– Within Azure, you can connect to ANF volumes using VNet peering, enabling seamless communication across different VNets.
– From on-premises environments, access is facilitated through a Virtual Network Gateway, using either ExpressRoute or a VPN Gateway for secure, high-performance connectivity.
This architecture ensures that your data remains protected within a controlled network boundary while still being accessible to both cloud-native and hybrid workloads.
Source: Guidelines for Azure NetApp Files network planning | Microsoft Learn
Common Use Cases
- SAP on Azure
ANF is certified for SAP HANA and supports high IOPS and throughput requirements, making it a preferred choice for SAP workloads.
- VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure)
With its low-latency and high-throughput capabilities, ANF supports fast user profile loading and application responsiveness in VDI environments.
- High-Performance Computing
ANF’s Ultra tier is optimized for compute-intensive workloads like genomics, oil and gas simulations, and financial modeling.
Getting Started
To start using Azure NetApp Files:
1. Register the ANF resource provider in your Azure subscription.
2. Create a NetApp account and capacity pool.
3. Provision a volume with the desired protocol and performance tier.
4. Mount the volume to your virtual machines or services.
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WRITTEN BY Mariyam Thomas
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