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NetApp AFF pros and cons

Vendor: NetApp
4.5 out of 5
Badge Leader

Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

NetApp AFF is praised for its exceptional speed and performance, particularly with transactional workloads and databases.
The system's deduplication, compression, and thin provisioning capabilities lead to substantial storage efficiency and space savings.
High availability features, including MetroCluster, provide robust business continuity and minimal latency.
NetApp AFF's scalability is admired, with the ability to expand seamlessly and manage large-scale deployments effectively.
The support offered by NetApp is highly valued, with timely assistance and reliable technical support enhancing user experience.

CONS

Improvements in firmware issues and scalability are needed for better performance.
Compatibility matrix could be enhanced for seamless integration with other systems.
NetApp AFF pricing is considered high, impacting expansion and budget planning.
Technical support from NetApp needs significant improvements, particularly in response times and knowledge transfer.
NetApp AFF should enhance security features, including multi-factor authentication and ransomware protection.
 

NetApp AFF Pros review quotes

it_user176532 - PeerSpot reviewer
Supercomputing Specialist at a tech company with 51-200 employees
Dec 30, 2014
We have moved GPFS's metadata to the SSD disks, the incremental backup is 6-8 times faster (we have over 120,000,000 files and backup takes only 30 hours now).
it_user331992 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Engineer at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Oct 22, 2015
They’re easy and rock solid.
it_user346323 - PeerSpot reviewer
Operations Manager at OUTSCALE
Nov 25, 2015
We started with NetApp five years ago and are still with them now.
Learn what your peers think about NetApp AFF. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user351156 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at Ahd Hellweg Data GmbH & Co. KG
Nov 17, 2015
For the company I installed this for, their data warehouse system and ERP is ten times faster than it was before when they were using hard discs.
it_user351162 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Butchers Pet Care
Nov 18, 2015
The deduplication technology that it gives us means that we are getting more storage for our money.
it_user351168 - PeerSpot reviewer
R&D IT Admin at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Nov 17, 2015
Lower latency means faster end products.
it_user351183 - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Nov 17, 2015
It has the most consistent performance for storage for VMware.
it_user351189 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Infrastructure Architect at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Nov 18, 2015
Customer service is one of the best, and I am a demanding customer.
it_user351201 - PeerSpot reviewer
Storage Architect at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Nov 16, 2015
We were able to migrate from a flash pool to AFF very effectively and efficiently.
it_user352065 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT System Architect at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Nov 16, 2015
We have reduced latency from 100 milliseconds to just 1 millisecond.
 

NetApp AFF Cons review quotes

it_user176532 - PeerSpot reviewer
Supercomputing Specialist at a tech company with 51-200 employees
Dec 30, 2014
I/O performance is good enough, but to achieve big capacity TB/s you need better controllers and many more SSD drives (we have over 1 PB of storage and only 15 TB of SSD disks).
it_user331992 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Engineer at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Oct 22, 2015
The process for initial setup could be streamlined.
it_user346323 - PeerSpot reviewer
Operations Manager at OUTSCALE
Nov 25, 2015
Cluster mode setup was complex to do the first time, but everything else was straightforward.
Learn what your peers think about NetApp AFF. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user351156 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at Ahd Hellweg Data GmbH & Co. KG
Nov 17, 2015
Inline deduplication would be great to have, but everything else is fantastic.
it_user351162 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Butchers Pet Care
Nov 18, 2015
It would be nice to see a 1 GB portal for networking on the back rather than just the 10 GB that we can use as a backup.
it_user351168 - PeerSpot reviewer
R&D IT Admin at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Nov 17, 2015
Knowledge base on the internet needs improvements so that I can find my own solution for stuff.
it_user351183 - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Nov 17, 2015
It could improve on the initial learning curve, as it can be steep.
it_user351189 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Infrastructure Architect at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Nov 18, 2015
They still have to reduce in price when compared to their competitors.
it_user351201 - PeerSpot reviewer
Storage Architect at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Nov 16, 2015
They need to decrease the latency and to improve the transmission in PNE STE using compression.
it_user352065 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT System Architect at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Nov 16, 2015
8.3 is not as stable as 7-Mode as it gets stuck every once in a while.