Laying low at the onset of the cloud revolution, storage provider NetApp Inc. has been cautious in its market entry. But the strategic acquisition of SolidFire has rejuvenated NetApp’s efforts in modern, hyperconverged infrastructures. How will NetApp build on this revival to get its mojo back?

Looking to answer this question and others, SiliconANGLE is at NetApp Insight 2017, currently underway in Las Vegas, Nevada, with exclusive commentary and interviews from our roving news desk, theCUBE. (* Disclosure below.)

The worldwide enterprise storage market posted modest growth of 2.9 percent for the second quarter of 2017, but it’s the first overall growth in several quarters, according to the International Data Corp. While NetApp Inc.’s overall market share was down to 6.4 percent, it is one of the few storage vendors that posted revenue growth, with the company seeing a 16.7-percent revenue growth year on year. This makes it NetApp’s fifth consecutive quarter of top-line revenue growth. In its most recent earnings call, NetApp executives reported first-quarter net income of $136 million, or 49 cents a share, on revenue of $1.33 billion. Despite reporting better-than-expected earnings, the company’s shares dropped five percent in after-hours trading.

“I think NetApp’s strategy is an IBM mainframe-type strategy: Make money while the market declines. NetApp has a very loyal base that wants NetApp for its functionality,” said David Floyer, lead analyst and chief technology officer at Wikibon Research (Wikibon is owned by the same parent company as SiliconANGLE). “If they don’t get too ambitious and keep to that strength and improve it, they’ll make money.”

To that end, NetApp’s joint integrated infrastructure product with Cisco Systems Inc. has generated $8 billion in sales since its 2010 launch. In June, the companies introduced an all-flash SolidFire-based FlexPod. NetApp finalized its acquisition of all-flash storage startup SolidFire Inc. in April last year. To help boost its data center storage portfolio, it is rumored that Cisco will eventually acquire NetApp.

“NetApp was slow to change, but it’s a large company with lots of resources. New management has NetApp turning around. They’re working on migrating their install base to more modern products, including flash technology,” said Dave Vellante, co-founder and chief analyst at Wikibon Research.

NetApp now appears to be on a market share-gaining trajectory again, as they’ve been vulnerable the past few years, according to Vellante, noting the company’s current position to protect and grow its install base. “Their biggest strength is their large and loyal customer base. Its biggest strength used to be that it had a singular offering — they recognize they need more platforms to fill the gaps,” he said.

To expand its cloud offerings, NetApp has partnered with Amazon Web Services Inc. and Microsoft Corp’s Azure. The company also recently acquired Icelandic-based cloud services provider, Greenqloud ehf. “Greenqloud augments our team and accelerates our leadership in hybrid cloud data services by providing NetApp with a scalable architecture, unique technology and expertise that enhances our ability to integrate and deliver cloud data services,” said NetApp’s Chief Executive Officer and President George Kurian.

Keynote speakers at NetApp Insight 2017 include various NetApp executives George Kurian; Daniel Berg, vice president and general manager of the SolidFire business unit; Dave Hitz, executive vice president and founder; Anthony Lye, senior vice president of cloud business unit; and William Miller, senior vice president and chief information officer.

Other NetApp executives who will present at the event include Joel Reich, executive vice president of product operations; Henri Richard, executive vice president of worldwide field and customer operations; Octavian Tanase, senior vice president ONTAP (OSSG); and Alexander Wallner, senior vice president and general manager of EMEA.

NetApp Insight will also include various guest speakers like Kenneth Cukier, data editor at “The Economist”; Carey Lohrenz, first female F-14 fighter pilot for the U.S. Navy; and Adam Steltzner, NASA engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

How to watch theCUBE interviews

We offer you various ways to watch all of theCUBE interviews that will be taking place at NetApp Insight, including SiliconANGLE TV and YouTube. You can also get all the coverage from this year’s event on SiliconANGLE.

SiliconANGLE TV

All of theCUBE’s exclusive interviews from NetApp Insight will be available on the dedicated SiliconANGLE TV page.

TheCUBE’s coverage starts today at 10:00 a.m. till 6:45 p.m. PDT. 

Watch on the SiliconANGLE YouTube channel

All of theCUBE interviews from NetApp Insight, which runs until October 5, will also be loaded onto SiliconANGLE’s dedicated YouTube channel.

Cubecasts

SiliconANGLE also has podcasts available of archived interview sessions, available on both SoundCloud and iTunes, which you can enjoy while on the go.

Guests who will be interviewed on theCUBE

Guests who will be interviewed on theCUBE include NetApp Insight keynote speakers Dave Hitz, Anthony Lye, Adam Steltzner and Carey Lohrenz.

Other guests include NetApp executives James Whitmore, vice president of brand and demand; David Richard, vice president of systems engineering; Jennie Grimes, vice president of brand messaging; Josh Atwell, developer advocate; Sheila Fitzpatrick, chief privacy officer; Jean English, chief marketing officer; Jennifer Meyer, senior director of cloud marketing solutions; Mark Bregman, senior vice president and chief technology officer; Brett Roscoe, vice president of products, solutions and services marketing; Gabe Chapman, senior manager of HCI GTM; Cindy Warner, senior vice president sales; and Madge Miller, director of worldwide public relations.

Today’s lineup also includes interviews with David Chou, chief information and digital officer at Children’s Mercy Hospital; Jeremy Goodrum, founder and chief information officer of Exosphere Data LLC; Glenn Dekhayser, chief technology officer at Red8 Inc.; Michael Archuleta, director of information technology services – HIPAA and information security officer at Mt San Rafael Hospital; Brian Stuckey, vice president of IT infrastructure and operations at Cerner Corp.; and John Woodall, vice president of engineering at Integrated Archive Systems Inc.

How to watch the keynotes

If you are unable to attend NetApp Insight 2017, you can still catch some of the event and keynote highlights on the dedicated event page. There will be a live stream available on October 3, 4 and 5.

(* Disclosure: Some segments on SiliconANGLE Media’s theCUBE are sponsored. Sponsors have no editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Image: NetApp