NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP), storage and data management solutions provider, says it is offering customer what it claims is the industry’s first-ever guarantee program for installed third-party storage.

According to NetAp the guarantee is in addition to its existing virtualization guarantee program introduced in September 2008.

NetApp’s chief marketing officer, Jay Kidd, said customers now have “more ways to save with if they take advantage of the guarantee that they will use 50% less storage in their VMware, Citrix, and Microsoft virtual environments with NetApp storage” compared to traditional storage arrays.
 
“Alternatively, for customers that already own EMC, IBM, HP, or HDS storage systems, NetApp will reduce redundant copies of their primary data by at least 35% with NetApp V-Series.”

According to Kidd, customers are stretching their budgets and looking to lower their overall infrastructure costs while minimising the risk of their IT investments.

"While server virtualization is a way for customers to achieve greater efficiency in the data centre, NetApp further fulfils this promise with our storage efficiency capabilities that help not only save space and cost but also minimise risk of their storage investments. Now we're assuring customers that they can realise efficiencies with our competitors' storage using NetApp V-Series. No other storage vendor is willing or able to match this guarantee."

Scott Morris, Director of partner sales at NetApp Australia & New Zealand, said the new virtualization guarantee benefited both the company’s channel partners and customers during difficult economic conditions.
 
“It allows our partners to differentiate themselves by building new skill sets and offering customers a better quality of service, via guaranteed savings.  Partners can use this opportunity to increase their revenue, while providing customers with a healthier bottom line and a more efficient storage environment."

NetApp said its customers anywhere in the world who purchased a new V-Series system for their virtual desktop and server environment, including Citrix XenServer, VMware ESX, and Microsoft Windows Server Hyper-V, could take advantage of the guarantee program.