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NetApp has announced that Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP is now supported as external storage for Amazon Elastic VMware Service (Amazon EVS) on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Amazon EVS, which is now generally available, allows users to run VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) directly within their Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC) alongside other applications. It enables organisations to migrate VMware workloads to AWS without major architectural changes.
Integration Targets Cloud Migration Efficiency
NetApp said the integration combines its data management and protection capabilities with AWS’s scale and resilience, giving customers the ability to simplify migrations without re-platforming or re-factoring applications.
Migrating workloads to the cloud can remove the need for aging infrastructure, reduce operational costs and help meet business deadlines. However, NetApp said without a proper strategy, companies risk unexpected expenses, fragmented services and complex IT environments.
As the only enterprise storage provider with a first-party data service natively built on AWS, NetApp claims it can help accelerate VMware workload migrations while maintaining existing management workflows.
According to the company, customers using Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP have reduced costs by up to 50 per cent.
Customer And Partner Reactions
“Customers utilising Amazon EVS with FSx for ONTAP can now enjoy the same data efficiency, protection and automation they trust on-premises,” said Pravjit Tiwana, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cloud Storage at NetApp. “Through our collaboration with AWS, we’re making it easier to move critical workloads to the cloud and manage them at scale.”
Robin Gardner, Chief Commercial Officer at Xtravirt, said the announcement will give organisations more control. “Enabling support for FSx for ONTAP on Amazon EVS gives customers more granular control over the data powering some of their most important workloads. Customers will be able to access NetApp’s advanced data management functionality to reduce the overhead of managing virtual environments and more efficiently and securely manage hybrid deployments.”
New Capabilities For VMware On AWS
NetApp outlined several new features for organisations using Amazon EVS:
- Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP support for Amazon EVS
The integration allows VMware administrators to migrate virtual machines to AWS using familiar VCF tools. FSx for ONTAP provides advanced data management and protection, lowering ownership costs and enhancing cyber resilience. - Migration advisor for Amazon EVS workloads
The BlueXP workload factory for AWS now supports Amazon EVS migrations. It can automate virtual machine discovery, FSx for ONTAP provisioning and datastore placement. - Expanded disaster recovery support
BlueXP disaster recovery for VMware now works with Amazon EVS, supporting both NFS (file-based) and VMFS (block-based) storage options via iSCSI. - Enhanced ransomware protection
ONTAP autonomous ransomware protection for FSx for ONTAP can detect and respond to threats in real time. BlueXP ransomware protection also supports FSx for ONTAP, providing orchestration of defences across hybrid cloud environments.
Security Considerations
NetApp cautioned that no ransomware detection or prevention system can guarantee full protection. The company described its technology as an additional layer of defence that can help minimise downtime by detecting threats early.
Last Updated on August 11, 2025 by Nick Ross
