Zeit mal wieder was Neues auszuprobieren! Trainings kann ich aktuell nur virtuell geben und mit einem Podcast kann ich die IT Interessierten unter Euch auch recht gut erreichen.
Nun ist es soweit und ich starte mit meinem NetApp A-Team Kollegen @Der_Schmitz einen Podcast.
„Jetzt gibt´s was auf die Ohrn!“
Inhaltlich geht es natürlich um Datacenter Technologien und alles, was uns so Spannendes in der Cloud erwartet.
Heute Episode 1: Wer sind die? Und warum machen die das?
Active IQ does make a big difference and it’s a part of the whole NetApp solution, it includes with an active support contract. Let’s take a closer look below why Customers and Partners can benefit a lot if they’d use Active IQ.
During my Partner enabling workshops I always do an Active IQ Demo where I show the following:
Inventory of NetApp systems
One-click capacity and contract renewal requests
Health summary and trends
Upgrade recommendations
Risk Advisor and Storage Efficiency Advisor services
I always tell the Partners if they’re going to use Active IQ at the customer site, then the customer will be impressed and more informed. They will also be the trusted data advisor of the customer. To the sales consultant, it would be great if they could show the NetApp systems on the Active IQ mobile app and show the customers the Active IQ dashboard. Recommendation of alternate service-level options to optimize workload performance is also a huge plus.
Most of my Partners are very impressed, when they hear about the intelligence behind Active IQ like:
Each day, Active IQ receives telemetry data from more than 300,000 assets around the globe, adding to a multi-petabyte data lake that processes 10 trillion data points each month.
With a highly diverse installed base, Active IQ has a rich set of data for machine learning and predictive analytics, leading to deeper more advanced insights.
Active IQ turns these intelligent insights into prescriptive guidance that can reduce risk, increase data availability, and simplify management.
Active IQ demos are very powerful tool and the Partner loves it and Active IQ can make the difference to win a project against a competitor.
What’s new:
Active IQ Unified Manager
Active IQ provides context sensitive link and ability to launch to the Unified Manager instance to manage the on-premises ONTAP Systems.
Data Center View
Data Center view has been enhanced with automated interoperability validation providing remediation recommendation, and the ability to view hosts connected to a cluster.
Workload Tagging
Active IQ mobile application has been enhanced to display the workloads with their capacities and efficiencies that are tagged in the desktop version of Active IQ. The enhanced filter can now filter the workloads based on the tag types.
Active IQ OneCollect and Active IQ Config Advisor
Active IQ OneCollect and Active IQ Config Advisor have been enhanced with advanced search capabilities to search for AutoSupport data, and to view the host and storage configuration using Active IQ Cluster Viewer.
Storage Efficiency
Storage efficiency savings dashboard has been enhanced to include information about AFF and non-AFF systems at customer level.
Fabric Pool Advisor
This new advisor provides a summary of the inactive data and helps to tier the inactive data. The advisor also summarizes a list of the aggregates for which Inactive Data Reporting (IDR) is not enabled and provides recommendations to enable IDR.
API Services
Simplified the documentation to make it easier to understand and use the Active IQ APIs.
Config Compare
Config Compare has been updated with drift dashboard and instant comparison of systems and clusters.
Discovery Dashboard Enhancements
Discovery Dashboard has been enhanced to include additional fields like IO Density and Headroom. You can now export data to Microsoft Excel with filters applied, and watchlists with over 5,000 systems being routed to reports.
At NetApp Insight 2019 we were able to see the preview on how Active IQ will look like:
This upcoming release of Active IQ will include a redesigned and action-oriented interface, customizable dashboards, and improved integrations with Cloud Insights and Unified Manager. All customers with an active SupportEdge contract will be able to take advantage of this exciting new release.
So, stay tuned and make yourself familiar with Active IQ.
Let’s be
honest, there may be something special when you’re a week out of the office.
It’s either a vacation or something to do with business. The moment NetApp
University nominated me to attend NetApp Global Instructor Summit was like
unimaginable. It was a week of learning, networking and of course meeting new
and old friends from my NetApp community.
It is my
privilege working with an International team from USA, APAC and EMEA.
What is GIS?
The annual
Global Instructor Summit provides NetApp University (NetAppU), Authorized
Learning Partners and NetApp Distributor Enablement Program pre-sales
instructors with valuable information and resources. They will hear about the
NetApp strategy, learn about current and planned courses, and have an
opportunity to network with NetAppU experts and their peers in the industry. The 16th Year Anniversary
of GIS which started with just NetApp University internal deliver teams and has
since expanded to include our external delivery teams.
We were 88 attendees this year from NetApp University, Authorized Learning Partners and from Distribution like ALSO Schweiz AG.
The specific “Call to Action” of NetApp University for everyone attending
were:
Innovate
Leverage
what you learn this week to extend your skills with the latest capabilities.
Build
your business with the new learning solutions (DevOps, AI, Cloud, Enterprise
Apps)
Transform
Change
the conversation.
Enhance
the journey for your learners. Help them to transform and grow.
Evangelize
Share
the knowledge you gained here with your Colleagues and Partners.
Share
your success with us!
The goals of
the event were:
Articulate
NetApp and NetApp University’s FY’20 strategy, vision and priorities.
Provide
a roadmap and insights on new products and solutions in preparation for
training delivery
Boost
internal and external trainer skills and expertise on current and new solutions
Develop
a cohesive learning delivery eco-system
Empower
networking and sharing of best practices across audiences
Increase
trainer certifications
On the
first morning, our very own NetApp leaders like Octavian Tanase, Senior VP,
ONTAP Software and Systems Group – Henri Richard, WW Field and Customer
Operations and Mattt Watts the Director, Technology and Strategy gave us some
key news. I would like to emphasize what these motivated leaders shared.
Octavian Tanase spoke about the future of ONTAP and that simplicity is the future of ONTAP. He talked about what will be new with ONTAP 9.7 in November. So please stay tuned, right now it’s under NDA.
Henri Richard talked enthusiastically about Digital Experience. The new generation of buyers will be a different one in 2025 than today. He defined the new focus areas: AI / DevOps / Enterprise Apps (Core of our business, Oracle, SAP) and of course Cloud (being successful in the cloud is essential to NetApp).
As a matter of fact, NetApp HCI and the whole NetApp FLASH portfolio strongly supports the NetApp business.
Matt Watts talked how NetApp has changed from the “NAS guys” to be the Data Authority and then to the current philosophy: it’s your Data Fabric in the Hybrid- and Multicloud.
I love to
listen to his stories. His speech was great as always, and covered mainly his
two blog posts:
Which I can highly recommend, please take your time to read them.
For me it was most important to get the roadmap of NetApp and NetApp HCI and how NetApp is defining the future of their products and solutions. Simplicity is the goal, not only for ONTAP but also for other NetApp solutions. The result is NetApp HCI is simple, easy to scale with an incredible performance and reliability. Running different workloads is no problem on the NetApp HCI like VDI, Databases or Exchange because of Element OS and its Quality of Service. You can host multiple customers on your NetApp HCI, multitenancy is your friend. Make it simple, you don’t need all the features all the time. I liked when I heard “You don’t need a Ferrari to bring Grandma to church”. NetApp HCI is flexible and simple. Now we have Cloud Data Services on NetApp HCI: it is your Cloud, your way. With NetApp HCI you have your own on-premises Cloud, with optional connection to any of the three big Hyperscalers. NetApp HCI with NetApp Kubernetes Service and ONTAP Cloud Volumes Services is the new definition of HCI: Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure, as your Data Fabric.
Here are some statements and key take-aways
from some attendees of the GIS 2019:
Brandi Einhorn, NetAppU about certification (NCCG NetApp Certification Goddess):
“Our NetApp
Certification program has high standards. I am often asked; can you publish the
weighting of each topic within a certification to help us better prepare or can
you tell me all of the courses that will help me pass? My response is
consistent – certifications are legally defensible validation that you can
confidently represent NetApp in the field. To lower our standards would be to
dilute the value. Courseware, industry knowledge and guides and
presentations that you reference during real-life situations (applying
your knowledge) will guarantee success. Just because you are not certified does
not mean that you are not successfully doing your job, but PVUE has proven year
after year that certified users are more likely to get promotions and salary increases.”
During her
presentation Brandi also mentioned, what is essential for preparing for a
certification exam is:
10% Industry / Common Knowledge
30% Courseware
60% Experience through: admin guides,
presentation, manuals, etc.
6+ months of Training and Experience
recommended
As someone who has twice attended an Item
Development workshop, I know how much effort NetApp University and the team of
Subject Matter Experts put into every certification.
Nando “The Brainwasher” Gorsatt, NetAppU:
“What amazed me most at GIS is to see the level
of engagement of our disti-trainer-community!
The effort we’ve put in since 3-4 years really
starts to show & pay off.
It is very rewarding to help our distributors
on their journey to success as business enablers!”
Victor Franco, NetAppU:
“It is an exceptional opportunity to build
community, and to learn from people all over the world. Finding how other
people do stuff, helps me improve, also helps me feel part of a group rowing in
the same direction.
I especially liked to hear the new messaging
from our top guns and highest managers. It was truly a rare opportunity. Sessions
helped me not only on acquiring knowledge, but also taking tips on how other
people present and get their ideas through to the audience.
New disruptive technologies are already in the
market.
There are companies for example using AI to
process insurance claims, understand the attached documentation provided, match
against the customer insurance, and generating automatic responses or payments.
This translates into responding the customer in minutes rather than in days.
Also, those that have move to containers are
able to spin at least 4 times more resources in the same hardware than with
Virtual Machines. On top they add elasticity and granularity. If you translate
this into cost savings, there is a huge difference.
Those companies not embracing these market
disruptive technologies will really have a tough time remaining competitive.
NetApp makes this adoption really easy,
allowing the customer select where in his Data Fabric he wants to place
resources (on-prem, near cloud or cloud), as well as the consumption model he
wants to use (hardware, virtual machines or containers).”
Pete Ybarra, NetApp A-Team Member: what was most important for you at GIS?
“Learning
about NetApp direction on DevOps and Cloud. Meeting you finally and taking a
picture with you for top instructor award. Roadmap presentations and NetApp
direction on NetApp HCI”
Alun Griffiths, my fellow NetApp United Member: what was most important for you at GIS?
„This
was my 1st NetApp Global Instructors Summit (GIS) and I have to say, it was a
fantastic experience. I was able to meet old and make new friends. I learned a
massive amount of knowledge in many different areas, plus I was also able to
take some certification exams. As I sit and reflect on the wonderful week in Sunnyvale
at the GIS, I can honestly say, that for me, it was well worth the investment
of time and money to attend the event, and I sincerely hope I am invited next
year.“
My personal
highlight of the GIS is that I was awarded as the EMEA Top Distribution
Instructor of the Year from NetApp University. Being passionate about
everything you do will develop you to be a better you and give you an
excitement when doing your job right.
To win this Award is a great honor and privilege, so thank you NetApp University and of course my NetApp Perfect Partners.
Know well
at least one public cloud provider like Azure, AWS or Google Cloud and at least
one NetApp Cloud Service, like NetApp SaaS Backup or Cloud Sync.
For each NetApp
solution you will find Web Based Trainings (WBT’s) on
This is my
main site to keep myself up to date with the NetApp portfolio.
The
strength of NetApp is not one single product. It is a whole portfolio, how it
works with each other and how you can connect it with all the big Hyperscales.
Am 16. Juli 2019 habe ich das neue Examen NS0-002 abgelegt. Da dies für den PS Status der ALSO Schweiz beim Hersteller NetApp erforderlich ist.
Die neue Prüfung zum NetApp
Certified Technology Associate hat mir gezeigt, wie unterhaltsam ein Examen
sein kann. Warum unterhaltsam? Diese Prüfung enthält verschiedene gut
geschriebene Fragen, die das gesamte NetApp Portfolio abdecken, sowie einige
generelle Fragen zu Virtualisierung, Netzwerk und Cloud. Man kann nicht alles
wissen, von daher keine Angst vor dem einen oder anderen Fehler.
Wenn Ihr bereits einige
NetApp Prüfungen in der Vergangenheit absolviert habt und über die NetApp Cloud
Data Services und über NetApp Kubernetes Service Bescheid wisst, dann kann kaum
noch etwas schief gehen.
Falls Ihr noch nicht NetApp
Certified seid, wird diese Prüfung ein ziemlich guter Start für Euch in die
NetApp Welt sein. Für diejenigen, die bereits NetApp Certified sind, bitte
beachtet, dass diese neue Prüfung im Geschäftsjahr 2020 für den jeweiligen
Professional Services Certified Status für alle NetApp Partner obligatorisch
ist. Dies war auch der Hauptgrund für mich, warum ich die Prüfung abgelegt
habe.
Wie kann man sich auf dieses
Examen vorbereiten?
Die Vorbereitung auf eine
Prüfung kann stressig und zeitaufwendig sein. Aber das muss nicht sein, hier
noch einige Tipps für Eure Vorbereitung.
Ihr solltet
ein sehr gutes Verständnis über das NetApp Portfolio haben, insbesondere für
NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP und NetApp Cloud Volumes Service.
Das eine oder
andere Wissen über Kubernetes kann auch wichtig sein. Dieses WBT wird Euch
helfen: Selling NetApp Kubernetes Service. Zu finden unter https://learningcenter.netapp.com
Startet jetzt mit der NetApp
Zertifizierung und schafft einen Mehrwert für unsere Kunden, Arbeitgeber und natürlich
für Euch selbst. Hört nie auf zu lernen und probiert etwas Neues aus, es tut
nicht weh.
On July 16th 2019 the day I took the NS0-002 exam which’s required for ALSO Schweiz to be completed for the NetApp Professional Service program.
The new NetApp Certified Technology Associate exam made me realize how enjoyable it was, enjoyable in a sense that you’re not fearful of a mistake. This exam has various questions that are well written and covered the whole NetApp portfolio, as well as some general questions about Hypervisors, Networking and Cloud.
If you have already done some NetApp exams in the past and you know about the NetApp Cloud Data Services and NetApp Kubernetes Service then you are all set.
In case you are not already NetApp Certified yet, this exam will be a pretty good start for you.
For those who are already NetApp Certified please keep in mind that this new exam is mandatory in FY20 for all NetApp Partners who are Professional Services Certified, which is the main reason why I took the exam.
How to prepare for an exam?
Preparing for an exam can be stressing and time-consuming. But it doesn’t have to be.
Remember: You’ve got this!
You should have a good understanding about the NetApp portfolio especially NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP and NetApp Cloud Volumes Service.
When you know a little bit about Kubernetes, this will also help you in the exam.
Stefan is a NetApp Technical Consultant at ALSO Schweiz AG, a NetApp Distributor partner. He helps customers and partners design innovative solutions that solve their toughest technical challenges using the NetApp Data Fabric and hybrid cloud solutions.
In his spare time, Stefan loves to travel, and has been to many exotic locales like Taiwan and the Philippines, as well as the United States and several countries across Europe. Stefan is also a diehard FC Bayern Munich fan, and is a regular attendee at the Allianz Arena during the football season. When he’s not out talking about NetApp, Stefan enjoys playing Basketball and Tennis, or just enjoying the Swiss countryside with his wife Laura.
All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only.
All articles are my own opinion therefore subject to misinterpretation.
Data Stefan's Blog 