Billion dollar global partnership to redefine the storage market

A multi-billion dollar global strategic partnership between the Lenovo Data Center Group (DCG) and NetApp is changing the global storage market portfolio. With ten new storage products launched, Lenovo has entered a new phase of growth and transformation, a point where it can now claim leadership of the transformation of the fourth industrial revolution, being driven by AI, as stated by Yang Yuanqing , CEO, Lenovo.

By kicking off an event, Yang said, “We have built our business around the new structure of intelligent transformation especially around mobile and the datacenter. We now understand the importance of data in fueling intelligent transformation.”

Yuan addressed on Lenovo’s ability to provide the total integration of cloud, network and the device, and how it is the fastest growing player in the hyperscale space, and has a growing presence in edge computing.

“We are creating advanced algorithms and Big Data tools combined with industry know-how,” he said. “Al of our smart IoTs are linked to the other, and to the cloud. The opportunities are truly endless. With 5G coming, we just launched our first 5G smartphone. Going forward, we’ll be the first company to provide the 5G mobile experience to customers, without having to buy a new phone. We will transform how people engage with the world.”

With Lenovo DCG been transformed, as per Gartner, Lenovo is the fastest growing server company in the top ten. It is now powering six of the top ten hyperscalers in the world, which is significantly different from where it was two years ago. Lenovo now has 33 customized SKUs for the larger hyperscalers, to compete with the most aggressive ODMs in the world.

Lenovo is already Nutanix’s fastest growing partner. "I believe we can become Nutanix’s largest partner within two years,” Yang stated. He also pointed to the recently announced partnerships with Veeam and with Scale Computing.

A new strategic partnership with NetApp was the big news of the day, which has the realistic potential to turn Lenovo from a minor storage player into a major challenger to Dell EMC and HPE. With Lenovo and NetApp joining together, it will accelerate digital transformations to deliver more choice to customers than ever before on a global scale. Ten new storage platforms were announced from the new Lenovo ThinkSystem DE and DM Series.

The partnership between the two technology majors will get a strong momentum in the market, especially to address the datacenter business with a multi-year commitment to offer Lenovo-branded flash products globally.

"Lenovo and Netapp will put in storage technologies and expertise to establish a data management company in China for China,” Anderson said. “We can dream what phase two looks like, but our focus now is on making phase 1 incredibly successful. We will work on go-to-market strategy, strategic alignment, and realistic expectations and milestones."