'AWS, Google and Microsoft have chosen us' - NetApp sales VP

Henri Richard opens NetApp's Partner Executive Forum in Seville by declaring it the chosen partner of the big cloud three

NetApp has gathered "relentless" momentum moving into its new fiscal year, according to VP Henri Richard, who also talked up the success NetApp is seeing with the big three cloud vendors.

Speaking at NetApp's Partner Executive Forum in Seville, Richard (pictured) told partners that the restructure NetApp has undergone over recent months helped it boost revenue by seven per cent in its last financial year.

The storage vendor reported net revenue of $5.9bn (£5.1bn) in May for its fiscal 2018, giving it "momentum" as it moves into FY19.

"In FY18 we continued to change and make a fundamental change in the go-to-market," Richard said.

"We continue to have relentless disciplinary execution and while I recognise that there's still a lot of work we need to do in many areas - such as becoming simpler to do business with - I also want to commit to you that we understand the need to address that particular challenge.

"We have aligned the entire company around the opportunities that we see, with a focus on profitable growth, and I think an alignment between all the functions is the best it has been at NetApp for a long period of time."

Richard told partners that the vendor had to adapt in order to take advantage of new market opportunities, particularly hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). This change included building new business units and aligning cost structures.

"All of this would not have happened if not for two things," he added. "You sticking with us through the tough times and you supporting us through that transformation."

Richard also said that the vendor is focusing "intensely" on developing and increasing its share in the cloud, HCI and flash markets, telling partners not to listen to competing vendors who claim to be leaders in flash storage.

"In flash our objective is simple: we want to be number one in the world. We've been gaining share for eight quarters consecutively," he said.

"I think we have a serious chance of becoming the largest flash player in the industry.

"I am tired of hearing that some other company pretends to be the leader in flash. Just for the record, if you're talking about flash, we are two and a half times bigger than the so-called specialist and growing faster than them. If you are talking about flash, we are the leaders in the industry, and the numbers support that."

Cloud companion

NetApp is the only storage vendor partnered with the three largest public cloud providers - Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google - Richard said, calling this a "vote of confidence" in NetApp's recent changes.

"It would be foolish to think that when AWS, Google or Microsoft make a decision, they're wrong; they've chosen NetApp," he told partners, adding that the company is now in a unique position to capitalise on that support.

The vendor is also going to revitalise its OEM business, Richard said. However, he reassured partners that NetApp would continue to be a "fundamentally" channel-driven company.

"The world is quickly realising that this is a very different NetApp," he added. "We are entering this financial year with confidence and momentum, but also with humility.

"I want you to take away from this that it's game on. I believe that building on the success of FY18 and some of the things we were talking about last year are now becoming a reality."