NetApp is pushing into the software-defined storage marketplace with Clustered Data ONTAP 8.2, the latest release of its storage operating system. The platform was designed with software-led Big Data environments in mind: it facilitates non-disruptive maintenance and load balancing, supports a wide variety of modern technologies, and can reportedly scale up to 69 petabytes and 24 controllers per deployment.

SiliconAngle Assistant Editor Ryan Cox believes that ONTAP 8.2 will help NetApp get closer to realizing its vision of software-defined storage. The vendor is embedding intelligence into its solutions in an attempt to address CIOs’ evolving Big Data needs.

Analytics is one of the several trends and challenges that the company is addressing with its software initiative. Operational agility is another. Eric Eisman, a senior systems architect for Advanced Systems Group, told SiliconAngle’s Mark Hopkins that the fact that ONTAP keeps data accessible during scheduled downtime “opens up the ability to change your mind,” which translates into more wiggle room for CIOs.

Jason Anderson of Datalink offered a different angle on the product. He told us that the most powerful feature of ONTAP 8.2 was its compatibility with general-purpose IT use cases, as opposed to specific areas of HPC.

NetApp is hoping to augment its  software-defined storage capabilities with  flash. A few months ago, the company announced that it is developing an all-flash array that will provide customers with the performance they require to crunch data-driven workloads.

Cox highlights that  Hewlett-Packard and Dell have  set their eyes on SDS, too. To make it worse, NetApp is also facing competition from Fusion-io and other disruptive players. The company does have an opportunity to overtake the competition, but it will have to act fast and double down on automation and implement a Storage-as-a-Platform strategy in order to succeed. SiliconAngle founder and Editor-in-Chief John Furrier elaborated:

“This is an opportunity for companies to change their leadership positions and take new territory. What NetApp is introducing today is fundamentally a shift to this new model of software-led infrastructure,” Furrier told Kristin Feledy on a NewsDesk segment earlier this week. “Clustered ONTAP is a huge announcement for NetApp in the sense that it’s going to be the fundamental operating system for all of their storage devices, which literally have been installed in thousands and thousands of corporate enterprises.”

To hear the full conversation with John Furrier, check out the video below.