Azure NetApp Files vs NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights comparison

Azure NetApp Files vs. NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Azure NetApp Files

Ranking in Cloud Migration

6th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Storage (11th), Public Cloud Storage Services (12th)

NetApp Data Infrastructure ...

Ranking in Cloud Migration

14th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (44th), Cloud Monitoring Software (30th)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Cloud Migration category, the mindshare of Azure NetApp Files is 6.5%, down from 15.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights is 3.8%, up from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Migration Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Azure NetApp Files	6.5%
NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights	3.8%
Other	89.7%

Cloud Migration

Featured Reviews

AjayKumar13

Cloud/Data/Database Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

Fast, reliable, and helps meet our SLAs

The most valuable feature is that the sixty-terabyte database snapshot can be done in less than two to three minutes. It is faster. It is quicker. It is reliable. You don't need to take the snapshot. Snapshots are compressed. It doesn't take storage from the back end. It takes three minutes to do sixty terabytes of the database. You don't have to go to the tape and store it outside, which takes hours and hours. It also uses a lot less of the storage. It's very easy to restore or copy the snapshots to other locations for disaster recovery. There are a lot of benefits. In terms of the snapshot's rapid restore capability, we were testing the load of performance testing, and we needed to rebuild the DR site. If I need to rebuild the DR for a standby database, it takes sixty terabytes to copy onto the another site, which will take at least a day. Now, the snapshot is easy. We just copy the snapshots, and then we do the cross-region application. The snapshots came along with that, and that's where we were able to build the DR site within a few hours rather than days. All together, instead of a four-day process, instead of a day.

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Punit Waghela

Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited

Reduces troubleshooting time and improves operational efficiency through a single console

NetApp technology, specifically NetApp Cloud Insights, has significantly impacted the way my customers do business. One customer had multiple components, such as a VMware environment, Cisco switches, NetApp storage, and backup tools. Previously, the customer had to monitor all these tools individually each morning by logging into every console to check for errors or performance issues. It used to take them about 1 or 2 hours, but after we installed NetApp Cloud Insights, the time spent was reduced to just 5 minutes with a single console where they could monitor everything. The customer can integrate their VMware servers, Cisco switches, and storage with NetApp Cloud Insights to quickly identify any problems and resolve issues efficiently, demonstrating a reduction in complexity and monitoring time. The values that NetApp Cloud Insights delivers to my customers are evident in real examples, such as an application team running their application on a single VM connected through a switch and storage. When they experience a performance issue, the VMware team needs to identify the source of the slowness, whether it's from the server, switch, or storage, which requires a time-consuming investigation of each component. Without NetApp Cloud Insights, this process is slow and stressful for both the application team and the VMware team, but with the tool, a single click allows the customer to pinpoint the issue directly, improving response times to performance problems immensely. The evolving cybersecurity landscape and the proliferation of AI highly influence my customers' technology decisions, as having NetApp storage in their environment allows them to detect ransomware attacks effectively. NetApp guarantees data recovery in case of such attacks, and here, NetApp Cloud Insights plays a crucial role; it can identify where a ransomware attack originates, allowing the IT team to respond rapidly, such as disconnecting affected devices to mitigate the damage, especially crucial when multiple users are involved.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"This solution definitely makes us more efficient in being able to provide storage quickly to our customers in the Azure Cloud."

"We use Azure NetApp Files mainly for backup."

"Since we have NetApp's internally, we use the SnapMirror predominantly for this process in the cloud which is beneficial."

"Using Azure NetApp Files got us out of a really difficult situation quickly, effectively, and at a reasonable cost."

"I think the easiest part is, when you do a comparison, it is the throughput versus the cost. And it's much easier to set up."

"The most valuable features of the solution is replication to another region and the performance. The solution is stable. The solution is scalable. The initial setup is straightforward."

"Azure NetApp Files has been stable."

"I think the easiest part is, when you do a comparison, it is the throughput versus the cost. And it's much easier to set up."

More Azure NetApp Files pros

"It is good for giving an overview of the systems and for tracking long-term trends, and it is handy for root cause analysis, e.g. it can eliminate whether storage is the cause of an issue."

"The solution’s ability to quickly inventory our resources, figure out interdependencies across them, and assemble a topology of our environment—the performance and metrics and dashboards for doing that—is amazing."

"Among the most valuable features are the queries and reporting that allow us to look at the utilization of resources, at how well the storage is performing, and to report on which resources are being used by which business units. We can track usage across the entire environment, across applications, business units, cost centers, etc."

"The solution is 98 percent stable."

"NetApp Cloud Insights helps reduce the time spent on problem resolution by up to 50% for my customers, making their operations significantly more efficient and productive, which is a perfect outcome."

"The visibility and assistance with security vulnerabilities are valuable, for example last year we had an issue with log forgeries but it was easy to fix because the dashboard highlighted the issue and provided solutions."

"Cloud Insights' best features are visibility and the connector to move the workloads."

"Its ability to quickly inventory our resources, figure out interdependencies across them, and assemble a topology of your environment is brilliant."

More NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights pros

Cons

"The deployment process is somewhat complex compared to other storage solutions."

"This solution would be improved with more innovation."

"The main hurdle in promoting this solution is the price. Its price definitely requires an improvement. It is more expensive than other options, so customers go for a cheaper option."

"We were looking for a clustered solution that has over-complicated things because we had it in AWS, which is Amazon. There was a solution for clustered NetApp. That meant there would be two NetApps that were not clustered because there was no solution for a cluster. We would like there to be an HA cluster solution."

"We would like to see more paired regions for the replication."

"We were looking for a clustered solution that has over-complicated things because we had it in AWS, which is Amazon."

"It is expensive in small environments, which could be better. The reason is the four terabyte minimum."

"Reserved Instances for Azure NetApp Files would improve more use cases, making them more valuable in Azure as the cost would be reduced."

More Azure NetApp Files cons

"The IP-based monitoring could be added in a future release."

"In a perfect world we would have something built, right out-of-the-box, that can identify what we call "noise," and reduce the amount of data."

"When I did need support because I was having problems with the solution, the first or the second line just didn't understand it. They were providing this only on a software as a service basis. So, they were asking all the wrong questions."

"The visualization needs some improvement because there are occasional delays while the system queries information."

"Their pricing model needs improvement."

"Most of the time, I initially connect with entry-level support, and then I need to request a higher-tier support level, which can result in delays."

"The first level of NetApp's technical support could be improved."

"Even though I work with NetApp, it still takes time for me to navigate and find components, so new customers might require considerable hands-on experience to efficiently use the console, indicating that it could be more user-friendly."

More NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing fees for this solution vary, ranging from a single shelf to a full suite."

"The pricing depends on your scaling and consumption."

"The solution’s combination of the ease of use, simplicity, and reduction in IT management versus the cost has helped a lot. It is very fast to deploy. It's very easy to maintain. You don't have to do a lot in the cloud to maintain this thing, so it gives good performance. It's fast to deploy, easy to maintain, and it gives a better performance. These are the most basic three criteria for any application. This saves cost because the manpower you need to deploy is going down. You're getting better performance and not buying new resources. You have resources available in the cloud. It's just a couple of clicks, then you're good to go."

"It is expensive, especially with NetApp Ultra Storage."

"The performance has improved by about 30 percent."

"The price of Azure NetApp Files could be better."

"We are currently on a pay-as-you-go model with the storage that we use."

"Its price is double the price of the premium disks, which is the main reason why customers don't go for this solution in the end."

More Azure NetApp Files pricing and cost advice

"The licensing model could be improved. We love that you can use it for free for looking at NetApp products. You only need licenses to look at non-NetApp products, but as soon as you do that, you start utilizing licenses that actually would have been free in the public. So, there is a bit of an anomaly in the licensing model."

"We are billed based on management units, so we can purchase units based on six months, twelve months, twenty-four months, or thirty-six months upfront or pay as you go depending on our requirements."

"The solution is expensive."

"The licensing is complex. The calculation depends on what you're ingesting. A terabyte of one product is not a terabyte of another product. Virtual machines don't equate so easily. It's all about the end-use managed units and having an easy place to reference how far those units go."

"The solution's pricing is based on the device you purchase and includes support services."

"Be aware of the capacity licensing and understand how that works, because it is based on capacity. Getting an understanding of that is the biggest thing."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

18%

Computer Software Company

13%

Energy/Utilities Company

Consumer Goods Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	13

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	8

Questions from the Community

How does Azure NetApp Files compare to NetApp ONTAP?

Azure NetApp Files is a Microsoft Azure file storage service built on NetApp technology. The platform combines the file capabilities of Azure and NetApp to move critical file-based applications to ...

What do you like most about Azure NetApp Files?

The availability is good, meaning downtime or network issues rarely occur. The system also offers flexibility, allowing for increases in data volume, IOPS, and other capabilities without requiring ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure NetApp Files?

It is expensive, especially with NetApp Ultra Storage.

What needs improvement with NetApp Cloud Insights?

In my opinion, one area where NetApp Cloud Insights could be improved for the next release is the console, which I find a bit complex. Even though I work with NetApp, it still takes time for me to ...

What is your primary use case for NetApp Cloud Insights?

It is a monitoring and analysis tool. In our environment, we have different technologies such as VMware, Nutanix, or maybe a backup tool. Instead of monitoring them through different consoles, with...

What advice do you have for others considering NetApp Cloud Insights?

NetApp Cloud Insights delivers significant efficiencies in addressing performance issues as experienced by an application team running on a single VM. The VMware team must methodically check each c...

Microsoft Azure File Storage vs Azure NetApp Files

Comparisons

Compared 16% of the time

NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 14% of the time

Amazon S3 vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 8% of the time

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 7% of the time

Amazon FSx vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 6% of the time

More Azure NetApp Files Competitors

Dell CloudIQ vs NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights

Compared 12% of the time

Datadog vs NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights

Compared 11% of the time

Grafana Enterprise Stack vs NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights

Compared 8% of the time

HPE OneView vs NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights

Compared 8% of the time

Instana Infrastructure Monitoring vs NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights

Compared 5% of the time

More NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights Competitors

Product Reports

Azure NetApp Files

Download Azure NetApp Files product report

NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights

Download NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights product report

NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights report

Also Known As

NetApp ANF, ANF

Cloud Insights

Overview

Azure NetApp Files offers flexibility, speed, and tight Active Directory integration, making it versatile. Its scalability, rapid response time, and replication capabilities like SnapMirror enhance its value, along with SEC compliance through SnapLock and efficient database management.

Azure NetApp Files is a robust service for unstructured data storage within Microsoft Azure and on-premises environments. It supports NFS and CIFS protocol testing, SQL backups, SAP virtualization, Azure Virtual Desktop, and event collection. This service facilitates seamless provisioning, non-disruptive resizing, and fast snapshots for disaster recovery. Known for high availability and cost-effective throughput, its ease of use and security make it preferred by users. Issues with high pricing and support highlight areas for enhancement, alongside desires for expanded regional availability, better security, and integration with diverse solutions.

What are the key features of Azure NetApp Files?

Flexibility: Supports diverse applications with robust Active Directory integration.
Scalability: Easily adjusts to increased performance demands.
Fast Snapshotting: Enhances disaster recovery capabilities.
SnapMirror: Provides effective replication features.
SnapLock: Ensures SEC compliance.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

High Availability: Delivers reliable performance.
Cost-effective Throughput: Balances performance with expenditure.
Ease of Use: Simplifies data management tasks.
Non-disruptive Resizing: Facilitates seamless storage adjustments.
Enhanced Security: Protects sensitive data effectively.

In educational contexts, Azure NetApp Files shines by offering seamless data handling and high IOPS performance, supporting high-demand environments like research facilities. For enterprises, it aids legacy system migrations and optimizes virtual environments while enhancing data protection and file share performance.

NetApp

NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights delivers comprehensive capabilities like visibility, usage optimization, and real-time alerting to manage and report resource utilization efficiently.

NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights focuses on strengthening data security and enhancing performance monitoring. Its sophisticated analytics tools offer clarity on complex resource interdependencies, reducing troubleshooting times. With advanced dashboards and data visualization, users can efficiently monitor performance metrics and optimize infrastructure management. While it boasts numerous features, improvements are needed in reporting, affordability, and simplifying the interface.

What are the key features of NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights?

Visibility and Optimization: Tracks resource utilization to optimize operations.
Real-time Alerting: Provides immediate alerts for performance issues.
Advanced Analytics: Uncovers multi-tiered insights for better decision-making.
Snapshot Capabilities: Enhances security by providing recovery points.
Comprehensive Dashboards: Visualizes complex data for performance monitoring.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Improved Efficiency: Streamlines performance monitoring and troubleshooting.
Increased Security: Identifies vulnerabilities like ransomware threats.
Resource Optimization: Forecasts capacity needs to prevent bottlenecks.
Seamless Integration: Unifies technologies like VMware and Nutanix for cohesive management.

Organizations implementing NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights across industries can expect improved analysis capabilities and security measures. From finance to healthcare, entities rely on its ability to integrate diverse environments like virtualization or storage management, enhancing predictability and efficiency in their operations.

NetApp

Sample Customers

SAP, Restaurant Magic

Information Not Available

Azure NetApp Files vs. NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights