NetApp unveils brand new storage licensing model

'Traditional storage software licensing model is long due for an overhaul,' claims SolidFire boss

NetApp has unveiled what it describes as an entirely new storage model which it claims will see the end of the industry's "ridiculous" previous set-up.

NetApp's FlashForward initiative launches today and is a software licensing and support model which it claims is aligned with how businesses buy and consume their storage infrastructure.

Dave Wright, founder of SolidFire, which was acquired by NetApp earlier this year, said the traditional storage licensing model is "long due for an overhaul".

"The days of ridiculous storage hardware prices combined with software licences forever bound to a specific piece of hardware are over," he said. "Customers want a fundamentally more flexible and fair way to procure storage in the next-generation datacentre.

"FlashForward delivers our customers a more agile, cost-effective and future-proofed approach to buying storage relative to the unnecessary burdens imposed by legacy storage purchasing models."

The new licensing model extends new software licensing rights to SolidFire customers, including the right to transfer software across "multiple generations of hardware" for no additional cost, NetApp claims, adding that it will mean customers can pool their software licences across their storage footprint.