NetApp has acquired JetStream Software, adding disaster recovery and workload migration technology that broadens its reach across VMware environments running on storage platforms supplied by NetApp and rival vendors.Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal, announced on August 6, gives NetApp technology designed to continuously protect VMware virtual machines and recover them in cloud environments, including infrastructure using Azure NetApp Files.
JetStream specialises in disaster recovery for VMware workloads and in moving virtual machines from on-premises infrastructure into public cloud environments. Its technology allows enterprises to replicate data continuously to cloud storage while keeping recovery infrastructure relatively light until it is needed.
The acquisition is significant for NetApp because JetStream's software is not tied exclusively to NetApp storage. It can protect VMware environments running on virtually any underlying storage platform. NetApp can therefore sell disaster recovery and migration services to a wider VMware customer base rather than limiting those offerings to organisations already using its hardware or software-defined storage.
NetApp plans to position JetStream alongside SnapMirror, its established data replication technology. SnapMirror will remain the preferred replication option for customers using NetApp storage. JetStream extends the portfolio to VMware installations built on third-party infrastructure and provides another pathway into NetApp's cloud storage services.
The combination also strengthens NetApp's relationship with Microsoft Azure. JetStream DR supports Azure VMware Solution and can replicate workload data into Azure Blob Storage or Azure NetApp Files. Protected virtual machines can then be recovered into Azure VMware Solution when required.
JetStream uses continuous data protection rather than relying solely on periodic snapshots. Its architecture operates through VMware's vSphere APIs for I/O filtering, capturing changes to virtual-machine disks and transferring replication data to the recovery environment. The approach is intended to reduce potential data loss while avoiding the need to maintain fully active computing resources at the disaster recovery site.
Enterprises can also use the same replication process as part of a cloud migration. A company may initially maintain its existing VMware systems on premises while using Azure as a disaster recovery location. Production workloads can subsequently be moved to the cloud as infrastructure strategies and application requirements change.
That progression is becoming more relevant as businesses reassess large VMware estates following Broadcom's $69 billion acquisition of VMware in 2023. Changes to VMware licensing, product packaging and partner arrangements have prompted some customers to examine infrastructure costs and alternative deployment models while continuing to operate applications that remain dependent on VMware.
NetApp's strategy does not depend on enterprises abandoning VMware. Instead, the JetStream purchase gives it a larger role in protecting and moving those workloads regardless of where customers ultimately decide to run them.
The transaction also fits NetApp's broader effort to expand beyond its traditional storage-system business. The company has increasingly presented its portfolio as an intelligent data infrastructure platform spanning on-premises systems, public clouds, cyber resilience, artificial intelligence infrastructure and data management.
Chief executive George Kurian said the addition of JetStream would strengthen NetApp's ability to keep enterprise data secure and available while organisations increase their dependence on data for artificial intelligence and other business-critical workloads.
The purchase follows NetApp's acquisition of DataPelago, announced in July, which added data-processing technology intended to help organisations prepare large datasets for AI workloads. The succession of deals points to an emphasis on software capabilities surrounding enterprise data rather than relying only on growth from storage hardware.
JetStream already had established links with NetApp before the acquisition. Its disaster recovery platform could use Azure NetApp Files as a recovery destination, giving customers scalable cloud storage separated from the compute resources used by Azure VMware Solution.
The software can recover individual virtual machines or groups of related machines governed by predefined recovery procedures. It also supports point-in-time recovery, providing an additional mechanism for restoring workloads affected by events such as ransomware or data corruption.
For NetApp, the addressable opportunity extends to enterprises that may have little or no existing NetApp infrastructure. Once VMware workloads are protected through JetStream, customers can recover those systems onto NetApp-backed cloud storage and potentially expand their use of NetApp services as cloud deployments grow.
JetStream's technology also supports disaster recovery scenarios involving other cloud and object-storage environments, including S3-compatible systems, while its product portfolio has targeted VMware workloads across major public-cloud platforms.
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