Can you share some highlights at NetApp over the past year?
At NetApp, we’ve had an incredible year of growth and innovation. Our focus remains on helping businesses transform in this era of intelligence and data. With AI becoming a central force across industries, we’ve honed our ability to provide intelligent infrastructure that allows companies to fully harness their data.
NetApp is a 35-year-old company that has earned the trust of Fortune 500 companies. We’ve built a robust global presence and a strong reputation as a data infrastructure leader. Over the past year, the explosion of data generation has presented significant opportunities for businesses, but challenges too. Studies reveal that 70 percent of organisational data goes unused, meaning only 30 percent is actively leveraged. At NetApp, our mission is to flip that statistic—empowering organisations to effectively use all the data they collect.
One area where we’ve excelled is leveraging AI to transform customer support. For example, our Active IQ platform uses AI to predict potential challenges, such as cyber-attacks, and proactively resolves them before they escalate. Additionally, we’ve embedded AI capabilities into our products, such as anti-ransomware tools that help safeguard customer data.
How does NetApp support organisations in leveraging AI, especially with emerging subsets like generative AI?
For decades, we’ve seen that the organisations with access to more and better data are the ones that succeed. Today, the sheer volume of data being generated is unprecedented. Reduced storage and computing costs have created immense opportunities for innovation, but they’ve also brought challenges, such as managing, structuring, and protecting data while staying compliant with regulations.
NetApp excels in this area by providing technologies that help customers store, manage, and leverage their data effectively. Globally, we work with 40,000 customers—including about 1,500 in the UAE—through our network of 36 partners. With these partnerships, we enable businesses to unlock the full value of their data, whether it’s for building AI-driven customer experiences or innovating in their operations.
In particular, with generative AI, we’ve seen customers looking to combine unstructured internet data with their internal datasets to derive meaningful insights. This requires an intelligent infrastructure that ensures data is managed effectively and securely. NetApp’s technology makes this possible.
How is NetApp leveraging AI internally to enhance its offerings?
AI is deeply embedded in how we operate and innovate at NetApp. For instance, our Active IQ technology is an AIOps platform that analyses usage patterns to identify potential issues before they arise. It can even detect unusual activity that might indicate a cyberattack. This proactive approach allows us to address problems before they affect customers.
On the support side, AI enables us to handle 95 percent of our cases digitally. It anticipates potential problems and recommends updates or adjustments to help customers avoid disruptions. Beyond support, we also leverage AI in marketing, sales, customer success, and engineering to improve efficiency and decision-making.
Our products also integrate AI capabilities. For example, our anti-ransomware tools protect customer data and ensure recovery in the event of an attack. In fact, we’re so confident in our ransomware protection that we offer a warranty—if customers follow our best practices and still experience a ransomware incident, we guarantee data recovery.
How does NetApp ensure its offerings align with local regulatory frameworks, especially in regions like the Middle East?
Compliance with local and international regulations is a top priority for us. It’s not just a regional challenge—it’s a global one. At NetApp, we ensure that our technologies meet regulatory standards in every market we serve. We also work closely with policymakers through our government relations and policy teams to ensure that both we and our customers remain compliant.
In the Middle East, specifically in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, we adhere to financial regulatory requirements through products like Data Sense, which handles data governance. Another example is BlueXP, our unified control plane for data management. BlueXP integrates with Active IQ to monitor compliance and alert customers if their data storage practices are out of alignment with regulations. It even suggests corrective actions to bring them back into compliance.
What are your priorities for R&D investments in 2025?
Innovation has always been at the heart of what we do. Over the years, we’ve differentiated ourselves by building strong relationships with the three major hyperscalers: Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud. These partnerships allow us to integrate our technologies directly into their platforms as first-party services, offering customers seamless experiences across public, private, and hybrid cloud environments.
Our current R&D priorities include hybrid cloud, cybersecurity, data management, and AI. As customers increasingly move to the cloud, they need solutions that provide flexibility and scalability. For instance, we’ve developed technologies that work across public clouds, private clouds, and sovereign clouds, ensuring that customers can meet their needs no matter where they are in their cloud journey.
Zooming in on the Middle East, what is NetApp’s strategy for the region?
The Middle East is a fascinating region, especially when it comes to technology adoption. Countries like the UAE are leading the charge in AI and digital transformation. The fact that the UAE has a Ministry of AI speaks volumes about its commitment to innovation.
Our regional strategy aligns with these trends. We place a strong emphasis on having local teams and partners who understand the nuances of the market. For example, we work closely with our partners to enable their success and support them in driving digital transformation initiatives for our customers. By combining our global expertise with local insights, we can deliver solutions that truly meet the unique needs of the region. Developing local talent is also a key part of our strategy.
Additionally, the recent appointment of Suhail Hasanain as the new regional senior director for the Middle East and Africa underscores our commitment to strengthening our presence in the region.
How important are local partnerships in driving NetApp’s regional strategy?
Local partnerships are absolutely critical to our success. While NetApp operates in more than 100 countries, we’ve always emphasised the importance of having a strong local presence. In the UAE, for example, we’ve been operating for over 20 years. During that time, we’ve built relationships with 36 partners and currently serve more than 500 customers in the region.
These partnerships span system integrators, telecommunications companies, and hyperscalers. They enable us to tailor our solutions to the specific needs of the market and ensure compliance with regional requirements. By combining our global expertise with the local knowledge of our partners, we can deliver the best outcomes for our customers.
Looking ahead, do you think AI will remain the most disruptive technology, or do you see other trends on the horizon?
AI is undoubtedly transformative, and it will continue to play a significant role in shaping industries for years to come. Over the past two decades, one constant has been the critical role of data—whether it’s AI, cloud computing, or the next big thing, success hinges on effective data management, storage, and security.
While AI and generative AI are currently at the forefront, new technologies will inevitably emerge. At NetApp, our mission is to ensure that our customers’ data infrastructure is ready to adapt to whatever comes next. By providing intelligent, flexible solutions, we help businesses stay ahead of the curve and seize new opportunities as they arise.
We’re incredibly excited about the future. The pace of innovation in AI, data, and digital transformation is accelerating, and NetApp is proud to play a key role in shaping that future. We’ll continue to innovate, invest in our customers and partners, and help organisations around the world unlock the full potential of their data.
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