NetApp looks to solve data management challenges in Kubernetes with Project Astra

Sunnyvale, California-based cloud data services provider NetApp has launched a new initiative, called Project Astra, to bring enterprise-class storage and data services to Kubernetes.

Project Astra, once released, will help Kubernetes users with application and data portability, NetApp said in a statement.

The solution will be provided both as a built-in capability and as an as-a-service format, it said. The platform, which would be able to integrate and unify applications, and manage their data, will also help companies discover applications for Kubernetes, both on-premise and cloud, it added. 

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While companies were adopting Kubernetes, they lacked reliable data and application services that were as easily flexible as the applications themselves in Kubernetes, the company said.

“We are making a decisive and long-term commitment to addressing the data challenges of Kubernetes, together with the communities and platforms that use it,” Anthony Lye, senior vice president and general manager of the cloud data services business unit for NetApp, said.

Project Astra will provide a software-defined architecture and set of tools that can plug into any Kubernetes distribution and management environment, he added. 

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While containerisation is gaining popularity, it continues to have issues of low flexibility and portability. Project Astra will be built with the help of Kubernetes developers and operations managers to bridge that gap, the company said. 

Containerisation refers to the process of packaging an application along with its data libraries, frameworks and configuration files so it can run in various computing environments efficiently.

Project Astra is currently available as a technology preview, and is expected to be released in the coming months.