NetApp was built around hardware. Nasuni was cloud-native from the start.
Nasuni replaces NetApp’s hardware refresh cycle with a cloud-native file data platform built on object storage. No hardware dependency, no refresh cycle, and real savings against the rising cost of disks, lead times, and AI competing for the storage budget. See what those savings look like against your next NetApp quote.
NetApp’s hardware dependency never goes away. It just moves. Nasuni doesn’t have one.
Every product in NetApp’s portfolio is either physical hardware, designed for hardware, or priced like hardware. Whether you stay on-premises, lift-and-shift to the cloud, or move to NetApp’s hyperscaler partnerships, the same constraints follow you. Nasuni was built without any of them.
FAS / AFF / ASA
NetApp’s physical appliance line. Controllers, disk shelves, refresh cycles, procurement lead times, and CapEx spikes. Every capacity expansion adds hardware to your data center.
Cloud Volumes ONTAP (CVO)
NetApp’s WAFL file system and ONTAP OS, originally designed for legacy hardware, running as software on AWS, Azure, or GCP compute and backed by premium cloud block storage. Self-managed, customer-licensed, and typically 2× the cost of Nasuni.
ANF · FSx ONTAP · GCNV
NetApp ONTAP hardware deployed inside Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud data centers, sold as first-party managed services. Same architectural constraints, now priced as cloud premium tiers, and up to 10× the cost of Nasuni.
NetApp is typically 2× the cost of Nasuni. First-party managed services run up to 10×.
The cost gap isn’t a list-price quirk, it’s an architectural one. NetApp keeps active data on expensive cloud block storage and tiers inactive data through FabricPool, requiring compute to manage the movement. Nasuni keeps everything in object storage, all the time.
Built on premium tiers
- Active data on expensive cloud block storage (SSD/HDD)
- FabricPool tiering requires compute resources to manage data movement
- Separate licenses needed for SnapMirror, Cloud Backup, Edge caching
- Capacity expansion forces new volumes, new admin consoles, new silos
- ANF, FSx ONTAP, and GCNV run in NetApp’s managed service, not your cloud tenant
- ANF, FSx ONTAP, and GCNV run up to 10× more expensive than Nasuni on cloud object storage
Built on object storage
- All data lives in your Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud object storage, with no volume limits
- No tiering tax, single authoritative source of truth
- Backup, DR, replication, and edge caching built in natively
- One global namespace, one console, one subscription that scales with usage
- Runs in your cloud tenant, burns down your existing cloud commits
- Up to 75% lower TCO vs. legacy NAS
Five things Nasuni does natively that NetApp can’t.
Even if you set the hardware question aside, NetApp’s architecture, originally designed for legacy appliances, imposes hard limits on what’s possible at cloud scale. These are the differences Nasuni delivers in production, not in the datasheet.
Effortless scalability
Nasuni’s patented file system scales fully in your Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud object storage with no volume, file, user, or location limits.
Unlimited recovery points
Continuous File Versioning® delivers built-in backup with unlimited retention. Recovery points every few minutes; restores in minutes, not days.
Native edge caching
Lightweight virtual edges cache hot data anywhere, on-prem or in any cloud region, in minutes. High-performance SMB, NFS, S3, HTTPS without cloud latency.
Global file locking
One namespace presents the same files at every site. Patented orchestration provides cross-region file locking and prioritized propagation for conflict-free collaboration.
Up to 75% lower TCO
All data in cost-effective object storage with no tiering tax, even compared against NetApp FabricPool dividing data between performance and capacity tiers.
To match Nasuni, you’d assemble at least six NetApp products. Nasuni is one platform.
A full NetApp deployment that approaches what Nasuni delivers natively requires multiple separate products, each with its own license, console, and integration overhead. NetApp’s recent rebrand under “NetApp Console” consolidated the UI, not the product sprawl underneath.
Nasuni File Data Platform
One platform. Backup, DR, replication, global file locking, edge caching, and ransomware protection — all built in. Every site, every file, one console.
Migration is the easiest part, not the hardest.
The hardest part of leaving NetApp isn’t the migration. It’s deciding to stop renewing. Nasuni has migrated petabytes of NetApp data into production without operational downtime, and the Nasuni team handles it.
Discovery & assessment
We map your existing NetApp environment, file activity patterns, and edge site footprint. You get a Business Value Assessment with a TCO comparison before any commitment.
Parallel provisioning
Nasuni edge appliances deploy as lightweight VMs alongside your existing NetApp footprint — no rip-and-replace, no procurement cycle, no rack space required.
Cutover with no downtime
Files migrate in the background. Users keep working. When you’re ready, traffic switches over — and your NetApp refresh quote becomes a historical artifact.
On evaluating Azure Files, NetApp, and Nasuni, and choosing Nasuni for seamless migration with no downtime.
