Soon, No More ONTAP Support for the NetApp FAS2050

Come June 30, 2013, NetApp will no longer be providing ONTAP software support for the FAS2050, and hardware support will expire in 2016. We all saw it coming when the FAS2050 reached end of availability back in 2011, but with every new “end-of-life milestone,” IT leaders must consider the question: Should replacing the FAS2050 be on our short list of priorities?

To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade?

NetApp has positioned the FAS3210 as a direct replacement for the FAS2050, and the new unit does save a bit on power and physical space, offers more disk capacity, and gets you on the Data ONTAP 8.x platform, where NetApp obviously wants you. While the decision will depend on how and where you’re using the FAS2050, we don’t believe discontinued NetApp ONTAP support on its own is a compelling argument for an upgrade.

Let’s face it, the NetApp FAS2050 is far from obsolete. It’s only been four years since it hit Network World’s elite “Best of the Tests” list in 2009. Yes, technology progresses almost daily, but the smart, budget-conscious IT manager will think twice before being cornered into new hardware purchases on the OEM’s schedule rather than his or her own.

Freedom to Decide with Third-Party Maintenance

We’ve said it before: discontinued support by the OEM is not the end of the world. It doesn’t matter whether the OEM is rolling back software support or declaring the hardware EOSL, third-party maintenance (TPM) offers you the option of keeping the gear you want to keep. And they supply a whole range of other advantages, as outlined in this white paper.  In fact, a quality TPM will have the ability to provide not only hardware support but software support (ONTAP) as well.