Today storage vendor NetApp announced the newest release of its widely-used storage OS, Data ONTAP. The update introduces a few major additions to the software with a big emphasis on security and automation.

The platform can scale to 20 petabytes according to NetApp, “without the need to add more people to manage the environment.” The architecture of ONTAP offers this kind of deployment with support for multiple workload types, and it also features a so-called self service virtual storage tiering. That is, the system places the active or most frequented accessed or data on flash and puts the rest on SATA drives.

The new ONTAP is also dubbed as a more efficient and cost effective solution than its predecessor, with a number of security enhancements that go on top of that. It features built-in authentication protocols, just as many data protection components that are meant to eliminate human error, and multi-tenancy.  Via a partnership with Cisco and VMware the vendor managed to introduce this functionality with the goal of segmenting data in an ONTAP-powered virtualized environment, making it easier to manage and secure.

A number of brief case studies were published alongside an announcement, including this one from GX Technology’s Keith Ritchie:

“A truly agile data infrastructure changes the game in our business. Clustering technology allows us to scale performance and management by pooling together multiple diverse workloads, making nondisruptive operations and continuous data access possible. Scheduled downtime is a relic of the past, making our business more agile for the future.”

Word of NetApp’s previous product update went out less than a week ago, when the storage firm debuted Open Solution for Hadoop Rack. The unified system is powered by E-Series and ONTAP, and promises a unique value prop tailored for data-driven workloads.