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According to NetApp, efficiency is more than about storage capacity and how I/O up to workloads by a given controller with a given storage capacity. It is also about how the underpinnings of a system enable performance and capacity efficiency to be turned into a more efficient storage capability.

"These include things like cloning, snapshot efficiency, disaster recovery, and how these capabilities serve as the basis for management efficiency," said Paul Kessler (pictured), director, emerging channels, Asia Pacific, NetApp.

In an interview with Asia Cloud Forum, Kessler talks about how NetApp enabled cloud computing service providers like Telstra to achieve management efficiencies, what Internet Initiative Japan’s "containerized data center" cloud concept means, and how virtual desktops will alter the way customer-facing businesses operate.

Paul Kessler: NetApp serves two types of customers: large multinational corporations (MNCs) with very large IT requirements, such as Telstra and SunCorp, which have massive, multi-petabyte cloud implementations serving internal customers. We helped these companies design systems to enable other business units to create and deliver revenue-generating products and services.

For example, Telstra saw business growth fuelling data growth of 400% in just 18 months. The company needed a more responsive "storage everywhere" model to replace its SAS point solution. Telstra partnered with NetApp to deliver the Omnipresence enterprise IP storage solution based on NetApp's unified storage architecture. It allowed Telstra to scale its storage needs from 1.6PB to 16PB without increasing storage administration headcount. Other benefits included fast activation, better resource utilization, minimal application outages and cost efficiencies.

The other customer we deal in Asia are cloud service providers. A prime example would be Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ). They offer an expansive portfolio of cloud-based services to their customers -- much of it built around the efficiency and agility paradigm that we've been espousing. One such product is a data center in a container. Designed to be plugged into grid stations, these containerized data centers can be moved around as needed. 

Kessler: CIOs need to look inward to identify or define the rational for cloud computing. Is it to reduce spending? Is it to improve efficiency? Is it to increase productivity? They also need to see the implications of outsourcing all or parts of their IT infrastructure operation or services to a third party, including the pros and cons of such a move.

CIOs today have a business mandate to pursue -- to help business units generate sustainable revenue faster. To do so they need to look for solutions that deliver on the promise of flexibility, agility and efficiency. We've helped customers like Telstra, Unisys Australia, Thomson Reuters do just this by showing both on paper and in proof-of-concepts hard facts that mitigate concerns about the cloud while translating investments into real dollars for the business. Whether the savings is through reduced labour costs or faster business turnaround time, we've shown that our approach to helping customers build their cloud strategy is designed to meet desired business outcomes.