June 7, 2024

What is it?

NetApp AFF C-Series is an all-flash storage array platform designed to provide economical, high-density storage for tier 1 and tier 2 data center workloads and unify storage environments. 

A standout alternative to NetApp's hybrid HDD arrays and NetApp's high-performance all-flash A-Series, the C-Series is the cornerstone of the next-generation data center. It uses quad-level cell (QLC) flash to provide high storage density at a lower cost per gigabyte than other types of NAND-based solid-state drive (SSD) technology arrays. 

Why should you care?

Enterprise storage environments with data-intensive workloads will benefit from an economical flash alternative that has more storage density than high-performance flash arrays. The NetApp C-Series combines an all-flash portfolio with ONTAP, NetApp's storage software to provide an affordable, high-capacity tier to customers' data center management strategies. 

How does it work?

Unlike the triple-level cell (TLC) media found in NetApp's AFF A-Series, the C-Series uses quad-level cell (QLC) flash technology which provides dense, all-flash arrays. Currently the AFF C-Series has three options — C250, C400 and C800 — that scale to 35PB, 71PB and 106PB respectively.

NetApp's ONTAP advanced storage management software balances loads across the array and storage tiers to provide enterprise-level durability and reliability. 

Differentiation in the market

Key benefits of the NetApp AFF C-Series:

• Reduce TCO and energy consumption
• Save up to 95% of rack space
• Save up to 85% on power and cooling costs over hybrid flash and HDD storage arrays
• Maximize usable storage space and reduce costs by leveraging NetApp's leading data compression technology
• Take a risk-free approach to more storage with NetApp's Efficiency Guarantee
• Get a clustered architecture that provides outstanding scalability and performance with non-disruptive expansion capabilities
• Manage data across different storage media and protocols on-premises or in the cloud
• Get best-in-class data security and ransomware protection, backed up by NetApp's Ransomware Recovery Guarantee
• Simplify backup and recovery with consistent data protection

How to position and sell NetApp's AFF C-Series

The NetApp AFF C-Series provides an affordable, dense capacity flash alternative for business-critical workloads when customers don't need the sub-millisecond performance provided by the NetApp A-Series but still want to modernize their data center by upgrading legacy spinning drives and hybrid arrays. The C-Series provides:

• 4x to 5x faster latency
• An enormous jump in I/O operations per second (IOPS)
• A storage solution that can quickly access less frequented workloads

More information

• Get the NetApp AFF C-Series datasheet
• Browse the Arrow NetApp training event schedule
• Find out more about the Arrow NetApp partnership

Arrow's value-add

As your NetApp partner, Arrow will help you quote, position and sell NetApp ASA C-Series arrays. You can count on use to:

• Participate in discovery calls with customers to discover the necessary information to design proposals that are tailored to fit their needs
• Provide right-sized quotes and create a competitive edge in every opportunity using NetApp's storage efficiencies
• Help you craft a value proposition that includes NetApp's Efficiency Guarantee