Don't migrate to AWS without knowing the game-changing benefits of Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP. Move beyond simple storage to operational transformation.
Migrating isn't just about hardware retirement; it's about gaining capabilities. Here are the three pillars of value.
True "Lift & Shift". Keep your SnapMirror relationships, snapshots, and scripts. No need to rewrite applications for object storage.
Stop paying for "air". Achieve 30-50% TCO reduction through automatic tiering and high-efficiency compression.
Native AWS service. Define volumes, SVMs, and backup policies entirely in Terraform or CloudFormation.
One of the most compelling reasons to choose FSx for ONTAP is the efficiency engine. Unlike standard disk storage where 1TB = 1TB cost, ONTAP uses Deduplication, Compression, and Compaction to dramatically shrink the physical footprint.
Visualizing a typical 100TB dataset. Through efficiency features, only ~35TB of physical storage is actually consumed and paid for.
By moving cold data to the Capacity Pool tier and removing duplicates, organizations often see up to a 50% reduction in costs compared to over-provisioned on-prem hardware.
This is the "Secret Sauce." Unlike other services that require manual intervention or file-system wide settings, ONTAP offers granular Volume-Level Tiering.
Sub-millisecond latency. Active data lives here.
Elastic, low-cost storage. Infrequently accessed data moves here automatically.
Avoid protocol silos. Access the same data concurrently through different protocols, enabling complex workflows across Operating Systems.
Windows Workloads
Native integration with Active Directory for seamless ACL handling.
Linux / HPC
NFSv3, NFSv4.0, NFSv4.1 support for compute clusters.
Block Storage
Critical for SQL Server FCI or VMWare Cloud on AWS targets.
Why FSx for ONTAP stands out against other AWS File Services and DIY solutions.
Score (1-5) based on feature richness and ease of management.
High "Administrative Tax". Requires manual HA configuration, OS patching, and limited throughput scaling.
Great for serverless/Linux, but lacks SMB support and the granular data efficiencies (dedupe/cloning) of ONTAP.
The "Best of Both Worlds". Enterprise features (Snapshots, FlexClones, Tiering) + AWS Management.
The gold standard for replication. Maintains all metadata, snapshots, and efficiency savings.
Managed data transfer service. Automates movement, verification, and preserves permissions (ACLs).