NetApp has acquired JetStream Software, a company specialising in disaster recovery and the migration of VMware environments. The transaction, announced on 6 August, is intended to extend the protection of virtual machines beyond NetApp’s storage infrastructure. JetStream’s technology enables VMware environments running on virtually any storage platform to be backed up and subsequently restored to, amongst other places, Azure NetApp Files. SnapMirror remains the primary replication solution for customers already using NetAppsystems .
However, the significance of the acquisition extends beyond backup alone. The VMware market has been undergoing a transformation for several years following the company’s acquisition by Broadcom. Changes to licensing, the move to a subscription model and the simplification of the product portfolio have drawn criticism from some customers and sparked increased interest in alternative platforms. At the same time, Broadcom is developing VMware Cloud Foundation as a private cloud platform and placing strong emphasis on cyber resilience and automated disaster recovery.
NetApp therefore fits into a pragmatic modernisation scenario. Rather than forcing an immediate platform change, it gives companies the opportunity to secure their critical workloads first, and only then migrate them to the cloud. This is important for large organisations, for whom migration entails not only costs but also the risk of downtime and complex transformation projects.
The acquisition may increase competition in the data protection and migration services market. NetApp gains access to a broader base of VMware customers, including those using storage from other manufacturers. For enterprises, this means greater flexibility in building hybrid environments. The acquisition itself does not solve VMware’s cost issues, but it may reduce the technical risks associated with subsequent migration.
