When it comes to choosing infrastructure to support your line-of-business Oracle databases, Oracle hardware seems the logical choice. But faced by evolving computing needs and shrinking IT budgets what are the alternatives. NetApp all-flash solutions provide a more than viable option to Oracle hardware – well worth considering as you plan the next phase of your infrastructure lifecycle.
Best in class performance
The headline benefit of NetApp all-flash technology is its superior performance. Capable of performing up to 1 million IOPS with latency of about 100 microseconds, NetApp systems are the fastest available – up to 20 times faster than traditional storage. With end-to-end flash arrays and NVMe, these scalable all-flash systems are capable of halving application response times. No other database platform – including Oracle – comes close in terms of performance.
Increasing flexibility and growth options
The hybrid infrastructure operating model solves several problems about latency and security – but the integration between on- and off-premise systems could be improved. NetApp brings the power and flexibility of cloud into the local data centre. The ONTAP data management software bundled with NetApp flash arrays allows you to dynamically allocate your database workloads for maximum performance-cost benefits. This includes pushing lower priority data to cheaper cloud storage to maintain local capacity. NetApp solutions also integrate neatly with Oracle management tools, greatly simplifying administration. Application-integrated workflows can be automated; you can provision and prototype with a single mouse-click in as little as eight seconds. NetApp all flash arrays are also ideal for rapid development and prototyping. FlexClone technology makes it possible to clone large data volumes in seconds. A thin provisioning mechanism means that the data records or files aren’t actually cloned until accessed or used, helping to constrain the physical storage requirements for your test applications.
Consistent and stable operations
NetApp all flash arrays have been engineered to deliver consistently high performance for database operations. They are also extremely reliable averaging just 31.5 seconds pause time per year – that’s 99.9999% availability. This reliability is essential for mission-critical Oracle workloads. Oracle database owners also benefit from SnapShot and SnapMirror technologies that automatically replicate data to prevent loss. Further protection is available using FlexClone to transfer databases to an active disaster recovery site – including the cloud. As well as databases operating at the core, data is protected at the core and in the cloud too.
Streamlined operations and cost savings
Customers using NetApp for Oracle report some significant benefits: fewer components, greater return on investment and a lower total cost of ownership. Estimates suggest time and effort savings of up to 90% compared with their existing solutions. By blurring the boundaries between on-premise and cloud, NetApp arrays make it easy to migrate workloads to wherever they are best suited. This helps to overcome issues of local capacity and avoid the need for costly investment in redundant physical storage.
A worthy alternative option
Thanks to its high performance and reliability, NetApp all flash storage is a credible platform for your most critical Oracle database applications. Factor in the integrated suite of ONTAP management apps and it is easy to see why NetApp users are able to realise such significant returns on their investments.
Useful Links
White Paper: Optimise Oracle Workloads with NetApp Solutions