Data Management Glossary
Azure NetApp Files
What is Azure NetApp Files?
Azure NetApp Files is a cloud-based file storage service offered by Microsoft Azure that enables enterprise-grade file shares to be created and managed in the cloud. The service is built on NetApp’s technology and is designed to meet the high-performance, availability, and scalability requirements of enterprise file data workloads.
Azure NetApp Files provides a fully managed service that allows customers to deploy and manage high-performance file shares in Azure. It offers features such as NFS and SMB protocol support, file share snapshots, and data replication across Azure regions. Customers can also choose from different performance tiers and capacity sizes to optimize the cost and performance of their file shares.
Azure NetApp Files is commonly used for use cases such as database file shares, big data analytics, media and entertainment workloads, and high-performance computing. It provides a scalable, high-performance, and highly available solution for enterprise customers who need to store and manage large amounts of file data in the cloud.
Azure NetApp Files Data Management
Komprise first announced support for Azure NetApp Files in 2020:
By using Komprise Intelligent Data Management, customers can migrate file workloads to the cloud more than 27 times faster than with other solutions. They can also reduce cloud NAS by 70 percent by transparently archiving cold data from Azure NetApp Files to various Azure Blob storage classes. Komprise Transparent Move Technology™ (TMT) enables archived data to be viewed as files, native objects, or both. These new capabilities now allow Komprise to deliver the same on-premises NAS data management features to cloud-enabled NAS.
Read the white paper: Accelerate Cloud and NAS Migrations to NetApp CVO and Azure NetApp Files (ANF)
Learn more about Komprise for Azure.
Learn more about Komprise for NetApp.
Komprise and Azure NetApp Files today
Azure NetApp Files delivers high-performance file shares in Azure at premium-tier pricing. Komprise keeps that tier for active data. It indexes Azure NetApp Files alongside on-premises NAS and other cloud storage in the Komprise Global Metadatabase, tiers cold files to Azure Blob storage classes in native format with Transparent Move Technology, and migrates on-premises NAS data into Azure NetApp Files with Elastic Data Migration, 27X faster for NFS and 25X faster for SMB with Komprise Hypertransfer.
Tiered files are directly accessible as objects in Azure Blob, so Azure AI and analytics services use them without copying them back. AI agents reach the same data, hot or tiered, through Komprise Universal File MCP, with answers scoped to each user’s existing permissions.
| Evaluation Criteria | Azure NetApp Files Alone | With Komprise |
|---|---|---|
| Cold data | Stays on premium file storage or moves to cool access inside the service | Tiered to Azure Blob storage classes in native format |
| Access to tiered data | Through Azure NetApp Files | From the original path and directly as objects in Azure Blob |
| Azure AI and analytics | Read through the file share | Read tiered files in place in Azure Blob |
| AI agent access | Per-service connectors | Komprise Universal File MCP across Azure NetApp Files, Azure Blob and on-premises NAS |
| Migration into Azure | Native and partner tools | Elastic Data Migration, 27X faster NFS; Komprise Hypertransfer, 25X faster SMB |
| Visibility | Azure NetApp Files volumes | Global Metadatabase across on-premises NAS, Azure and other clouds |
Azure NetApp Files FAQs
What is Azure NetApp Files?
Azure NetApp Files is a fully managed Microsoft Azure file storage service built on NetApp technology. It provides NFS and SMB file shares with multiple performance tiers, snapshots and cross-region replication for enterprise workloads such as databases, analytics, media and high-performance computing.
How do I reduce Azure NetApp Files costs?
Move cold files to lower-cost Azure Blob storage and keep Azure NetApp Files for active data. Komprise identifies inactive files across Azure NetApp Files and other storage, then tiers them to Azure Blob in native format with Transparent Move Technology. Users access files from the original path, and the tiered files are usable directly in Azure.
How do I migrate to or from Azure NetApp Files?
Komprise Elastic Data Migration moves data from any on-premises NAS into Azure NetApp Files, or from Azure NetApp Files to other Azure or non-Azure storage, with permissions and metadata preserved. Tier cold data first so only active data lands on premium cloud file storage.
How is Komprise different from native Azure NetApp Files tiering?
Azure NetApp Files cool access moves inactive data blocks to a lower-cost Azure storage tier inside the service. Komprise moves whole files to Azure Blob in native format, where Azure services read them directly, and applies one policy across Azure NetApp Files, on-premises NAS and other clouds from the Global Metadatabase.