NTAP - Sector: Technology --- Industry: Computer Networks

[setravis]

NetApp StorageGRID Helps Customers Transcend Their Physical Data Center Boundaries
Addition of Object Storage Extends NetApp's Leadership in Unified Storage


Press Release Source: NetApp, Inc. On Tuesday June 1, 2010, 8:00 am EDT
SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwire - 06/01/10) - NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP - News) today announced the availability of NetApp® StorageGRID®, a solution designed to manage petabyte-scale globally distributed repositories of images, video, and records for enterprises and service providers.

StorageGRID, which is a result of NetApp's completed acquisition of Bycast Inc. on May 14, 2010, extends NetApp's leadership position in unified storage by adding an object storage offering. Object storage is a new and emerging approach to storing and accessing unstructured data that can simplify the task of large-scale object storage while improving the ability to quickly search and locate data objects globally.

"StorageGRID is certainly strategic for NetApp with a solid entry in object-based, scalable, policy-based storage management," said Terri McClure, senior analyst, ESG. "It is complementary to the existing NetApp storage portfolio since it sits as an application above the storage systems and virtualizes the storage environment. The massive amounts of information that users are now, or will be in coming years, struggling to manage requires a new storage paradigm. NetApp now has the strong foundational technology it needs to continue its cloud storage infrastructure push."

With more than 250 StorageGRID customers worldwide, NetApp expands its position in key markets such as healthcare, digital media, Web 2.0, and cloud services providers. NetApp StorageGRID helps deliver boundless scalability, intelligent data management, and secure content retention, as well as always-on global data availability for enterprises and service providers that need to manage petabyte-scale globally distributed repositories of data.


Boundless scalability. Customers can implement a new data management approach to help eliminate the constraints of their traditional storage and deliver a global, holistic repository.


Intelligent data management and retention. StorageGRID provides customers with a global policy engine with built-in security that manages how data is stored, placed, protected, and retrieved.


Global always-on data availability. Customers can achieve fast, reliable data availability anytime, anywhere, and nonstop operation from single data centers to multi data center deployments with many edge sites across the globe.



"Iron Mountain is pleased to see NetApp offering a new approach to storing, accessing, and intelligently managing files and application content," said Todd Koopersmith, vice president of Corporate Development for Iron Mountain, a provider of information management services and solutions for archiving, e-discovery, compliance and data protection. "Iron Mountain and NetApp together are delivering solutions that address the specific needs of customers in the healthcare, digital media, and cloud services markets to quickly respond to their changing business requirements and achieve greater operational efficiencies."

Availability and Pricing
NetApp StorageGRID is available immediately in North America. Customer pricing is available directly from NetApp sales. For more information about NetApp StorageGRID, please visit http://www.netapp.com/us/products/management-software/storagegrid/.

About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that accelerate business breakthroughs and deliver outstanding cost efficiency. Discover our passion for helping companies around the world go further, faster at http://www.netapp.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include the anticipated benefits to be obtained from NetApp's acquisition of Bycast, including Bycast's product capabilities and compatibility and the expected timing of the completion of the acquisition. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results could vary. Factors that could impact our ability to achieve our goals include our ability to successfully integrate Bycast's operations and products with our own; the future success of both companies' product lines; general economic and industry conditions, including expenditure trends for storage-related products; our ability to deliver new product architectures and products that meet market acceptance; our ability to design products that compete effectively from a price and performance perspective; and other important factors as described in NetApp reports and documents filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

NetApp, the NetApp logo, Go further, faster, and StorageGRID are trademarks or registered trademarks of NetApp, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.

Contact:
Press Contact:Sarah TolleNetApp(408) [email protected]

[setravis]

Awesome technicals...



Technicals
Most Actives

Last Price Quote is:
6.18%above 13-day MA
7.22%above 50-day MA


52wk Range: 22.02 - 44.89
Volume: 6,774,866
Avg Vol (3m): 7,633,620
Market Cap: 15.18B
P/E (ttm): 31.79
EPS (ttm): 1.36

[setravis]

Monster Power run baby...

Technicals
Record Price High
Most Actives

Last Price Quote is:
5.44%above 13-day MA
15.15%above 50-day MA
RS Rating: 3 



Below the 2 year chart...

[setravis]

VMware and NetApp Inc. (NasdaqGS: NTAP) announced new solutions that will help mid-size enterprises consolidate and virtualize their Windows environment to deliver enterprise-class IT as a Service.



52wk Range: 26.89 - 52.41
Volume: 6,098,304
Avg Vol (3m): 7,981,070
Market Cap: 18.45B
P/E (ttm): 38.13
EPS (ttm): 1.36
Div & Yield: N/A (N/A)

Technicals
Record Price High

Last Price Quote is:
4.07%above 13-day MA
10.76%above 50-day MA
RS Rating: 3 

[setravis]

NetApp Data ONTAP 8 Enabling Customers' Transition to a Shared IT Infrastructure
Customers Deploy Thousands of Systems With Data ONTAP 8 to Scale Up and Scale Out to Meet Business Requirements

Press Release Source: NetApp, Inc. On Wednesday October 20, 2010, 8:00 am EDT
SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwire - 10/20/10) - Today's demanding business pace, explosive data growth, and a shift in the market from aging, siloed architectures to shared IT infrastructures are causing customers to rethink their approach to IT. NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP - News) anticipated these market shifts and architected Data ONTAP® 8 to address customers' needs to scale up and scale out as they move to flexible, efficient shared IT infrastructures that drive business impact.

Customers now think differently and use new criteria to evaluate alternatives and remain competitive. More customers are migrating to Data ONTAP 8 to build flexible, scalable, and efficient shared storage environments that address today's business challenges and the future requirements of their business. With thousands of systems deployed, Data ONTAP 8 can deliver flexible, integrated dual modes of operation and a unified, scalable platform that supports multiple workloads and drives IT consolidation.

News Facts


•Eight key purchasing criteria are setting the foundation for enabling a shared IT infrastructure that allows customers to efficiently deliver IT on demand and keep pace with changing business requirements.
•These criteria include scale-up and scale-out, a unified architecture, integrated data protection, intelligent caching, nonstop operations, secure multi-tenancy, storage efficiency, and service automation and analytics. NetApp® best-of-breed technologies are built on Data ONTAP, which currently, is the optimal platform of choice for building shared IT infrastructures.
•Data ONTAP 8 is currently the industry's only platform that delivers enterprise-class functionality with clustering technology in dual modes of operation, providing customers with the flexibility to meet their individual business requirements and enable a seamless transition to shared IT infrastructures.
•Customers migrating to Data ONTAP 8 are deploying shared storage infrastructures that address their data growth challenges and enable increased flexibility, performance, and efficiency while helping lower operational costs.
•University Hospitals Leuven, one of the largest healthcare providers in Europe, leveraged NetApp's flexible, unified architecture to streamline their IT operations, address the demands of their dramatic business growth, and simplify access to growing volumes of business and patient data across multiple platforms.

Solution Details


•Unified Architecture: NetApp introduced the industry's first unified storage architecture and continues to deliver a single, unified architecture powered by Data ONTAP 8. While competitors have attempted unified approaches, NetApp has been innovating to provide a unified storage platform that is currently unmatched in the industry and ideal for customers making the transition to a shared IT infrastructure. As more customers move to shared IT environments, the technology leadership and direction NetApp established nearly a decade ago is proving optimal for customers in meeting current and future requirements for architecting scalable, efficient, and flexible infrastructures.
•Dual Operation Modes: Data ONTAP 8 is architected to allow customers to choose the system mode that supports their changing needs and make the transition to shared IT infrastructures. Data ONTAP 8, 7-Mode combines the new 64-bit scalable architecture with the functionality, features, and unified architecture that NetApp customers have come to rely on. Data ONTAP 8 Cluster-Mode offers traditional clustered deployments a path forward and provides unique capabilities necessary to simplify data management, support nonstop operations, and make the transition to shared IT infrastructures.
•Scalability: Based on a 64-bit architecture, Data ONTAP 8 offers increased performance, integrated dual modes, and advanced processing capabilities for multicore, next-generation hardware environments to help customers deliver predictable performance levels and adapt to the evolving needs of the business. Using multimode clusters of up to 24 nodes, customers can scale out as well as scale up seamlessly from low-end to high-end systems.
•Efficiency: With Data ONTAP 8, customers can optimize the utilization of infrastructure assets and improve storage efficiency with NetApp's unique portfolio of storage efficiency technologies such as thin provisioning and deduplication.
•Flexibility: Data ONTAP 8 supports all workloads whether file or block, enabling customers to manage their explosive data growth and move to shared IT infrastructures. Support for multiple protocols on the same platform allows customers greater flexibility to mix and match protocols as necessary to suit changing environments. In addition, the ability to provide traditional 2-node HA pair deployment or multinodes of up to 24-node clusters offers customers multiple solution options, regardless of their needs within the shared IT infrastructure domain.

Supporting Quotes


•Ed Chow, Vice President of Product Management, Storage Systems Product Group at NetApp
"Customers are facing unprecedented challenges and thinking differently about how the IT infrastructure investments they make can accelerate their business today and tomorrow. NetApp architected Data ONTAP 8 to address this shift in the market and help our customers evolve to flexible and efficient environments that address changing business requirements. Our success in achieving strong adoption is a testament to the powerful innovation Data ONTAP 8 provides as a platform of choice for shared IT infrastructure."


•Reinoud Reynders, IT Infrastructure Director at University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium
"NetApp has been instrumental in helping University Hospitals Leuven achieve operational efficiencies and manage substantial data growth rates of 50% year over year. Data ONTAP 8 came at the right time for us and allows us to move volumes of data nondisruptively to support data-intensive healthcare applications. NetApp's unified architecture provides the performance we need to support multiple transactional workloads, scalability to support large data formats, and flexibility to adapt rapidly to our changing business needs."

NetApp Virtual Event: "Make the Leap to a Shared Infrastructure"
NetApp will host a virtual event on November 9 at 10:00 a.m. PT on how NetApp's technologies, products, and solutions can make IT ready for the future. Hear NetApp executives Tom Georgens, Manish Goel, and Brendon Howe; ESG analyst Mark Peters; and NetApp customers discuss how a shared IT infrastructure built on NetApp can enable IT to deliver unparalleled efficiency and flexibility to an organization. To register, visit www.netapp.com/us/forms/future-ready-reg.html.

Additional Resources


•Learn more about Data ONTAP 8 at www.netapp.com/us/products/platform-os/data-ontap-8/
•Watch University Hospitals Leuven discuss how they are achieving greater flexibility and efficiency with NetApp unified storage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=derRmPSm_GA
•Read more about today's Data ONTAP announcement on Val Bercovici's blog at http://blogs.netapp.com/exposed/
•Read about NetApp's new storage-buying criteria for shared IT infrastructure: http://media.netapp.com/documents/rfp-exec-summary.pdf
•Follow NetApp on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NetApp
•Join NetApp on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NetApp
•View NetApp videos on YouTube: www.youtube.com/NetAppTV
•Connect with NetApp on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=111681
•Discuss this news in the NetApp Community, where you can exchange thoughts and ideas on a variety of topics with our community members; join now at www.netapp.com/us/communities

About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that accelerate business breakthroughs and deliver outstanding cost efficiency. Discover NetApp's passion for helping companies around the world go further, faster at www.netapp.com.

NetApp, the NetApp logo, Go further, faster, and Data ONTAP are trademarks or registered trademarks of NetApp, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.

Contact:
Press Contact:Jessica JohannesNetApp(408) [email protected]

[setravis]

NetApp Ranked #1 Hardware Vendor and #2 Overall IT Vendor in Annual CIO Insight Vendor Value Ratings
NetApp Tops List for Meeting SLAs; Also Leader in Hardware Value and Reliability

Press Release Source: NetApp, Inc. On Wednesday October 20, 2010, 8:00 am EDT
SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwire - 10/20/10) - CIOs today more than ever face the challenge of making sure that their IT decisions align with their organization's overall strategy. They understand that their IT infrastructure must be able to respond at the speed of business and that conducting business as usual is no longer an option. More and more CIOs are looking to make the transition to a more flexible and efficient infrastructure to better compete not only today but in the future. As a result, selecting the right IT vendors to partner with becomes paramount to success.

As a testament to its position as a trusted and strategic IT vendor, NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP - News) today announced that it is ranked as the #1 hardware vendor and #2 (tied with Cisco) overall IT vendor in the 2010 CIO Insight Vendor Value Ratings survey. The annual survey, conducted by Ziff Davis Enterprise Research, sought feedback from a wide range of IT decision makers across the United States and asked them to rate the vendors they work with in several different categories.

News Facts


•For all IT vendors, NetApp ranked #1 in meeting the service level or responsiveness needs of its customers; it ranked #2 in delivering the required service and support levels to customers.
•Within the hardware category, NetApp ranked #1 in delivering value and reliability to customers; it tied for #1 in customer loyalty, with 92% of customers surveyed stating that they prefer to stay with NetApp.
•Additionally, NetApp ranked in the top 10 in several other categories pertaining to all IT vendors, including meeting expectations for increasing revenue, solving the business problem it is paid to solve, meeting commitments on time and on budget, and meeting quality expectations.
•The survey, which took place in July and August 2010, asked questions of 684 IT decision makers at U.S.-based enterprise companies. Of the respondents, 258 were from companies with at least 50 but fewer than 500 employees, 218 had at least 500 but fewer than 5,000 employees, and 208 had 5,000 employees or more.

Supporting Quote


•Christine Heckart, chief marketing officer, NetApp
"NetApp is committed to providing customers with a level of product innovation, service, and support that is unmatched. Ranking so high in this year's CIO Insight Vendor Value Ratings is a tremendous honor and further supports our notion that not only is storage foundational to business success, but that businesses built on NetApp go further, faster."

Additional Resources


•Read more about the CIO Insight Vendor Value Ratings: www.cioinsight.com/c/a/Research/2010-Vendor-Value-Ratings-273058/
•Follow NetApp on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NetApp
•Join NetApp on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NetApp
•View NetApp videos on YouTube: www.youtube.com/NetAppTV
•Connect with NetApp on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=111681

About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that deliver outstanding cost efficiency and accelerate business breakthroughs. Discover our passion for helping companies around the world go further, faster at www.netapp.com.

NetApp, the NetApp logo, and Go further, faster are trademarks or registered trademarks of NetApp, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Contact:
Press Contact:NetApp PR HotlinePh: (408) 822-3287

[setravis]

Power chart....

[setravis]

Profitable Company Hitting New Highs...

NetApp, Inc. (NTAP): Data Storage Devices Industry. Market cap of $19.14B. Sales have grown by 19.73% over the past 5 years, with EPS growing by 13.82% during the same time. EPS projected to grow by 16.9% over the next 5 years. Short float at 6.13%, which implies a short ratio of 2.77 days. The stock has gained 94.2% over the last year.

The market seems willing to push this quality stock higher. Do you think most of the good news is already priced in?


Day's Range: 54.86 - 56.00
52wk Range: 28.84 - 56.00
Volume: 4,132,833
Avg Vol (3m): 7,699,610
Market Cap: 19.99B
P/E (ttm): 41.31
EPS (ttm): 1.36
Div & Yield: N/A (N/A)

Technicals
Record Price High

Last Price Quote is:
4.66%above 13-day MA
12.97%above 50-day MA
RS Rating: 3 

Below the 6 month chart...

[setravis]

America's Next Top Growth Stock...

Growth stocks are the beauties of the stock world, plain and simple. They're exciting, they have good stories, and they can make you a lot of money.

But for all their beauty, growth stocks are also the prima donnas of the market. They can be erratic, they don't always live up to their billing, and they tend to attract a shareholder base that's ready and willing to run at the first signs of slowdown. For those reasons, caution is certainly in order when you enter the world of growth investing.

While the trailing growth for NetApp has been good, analysts see even better times ahead -- current estimates show the company growing at an annual rate of 24%.

[setravis]

Confirmed lift off to new highs...

Day's Range: 56.57 - 57.78
52wk Range: 28.92 - 57.96
Volume: 5,877,376
Avg Vol (3m): 5,966,700
Market Cap: 20.74B
P/E (ttm): 38.36
EPS (ttm): 1.50
Div & Yield: N/A (N/A)

Technicals
Last Price Quote is:
4.33%above 13-day EMA
8.02%above 50-day EMA
RS Rating: 3 
   

[setravis]

Network Appliances Inc. (NasdaqGS: NTAP)
reported second quarter fiscal 2011 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 45 cents, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 39 cents. Adjusted EPS excludes amortization of intangible assets, acquisition related expenses, non-cash interest expense as well as investments and tax gains, but includes stock-based compensation expenses.

During the quarter, NetApp launched new solutions, enhanced customer satisfaction by providing advanced IT infrastructure and extended its partnership program with VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW - News) and Fujitsu. This led to a significant revenue growth during the quarter, which, along with operating leverage, resulted in promising quarterly earnings. Shares were up 1.73% after hours in response to the news.


Revenue...
NetApp reported second quarter revenues of $1.21 billion, up 32.6% from $910.0 million in the year-ago quarter. Revenues also exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.19 billion and were in line with the higher end of the company's guidance range. While product revenues witnessed the most significant increase, other segments also improved on a year-over-year basis.

Product revenues were $780.0 million in the quarter, up 48.6% from $525.0 million reported in the year-ago quarter and accounted for about 64.6% of total revenue. The improvement was due to successful product launches during the quarter.

Software Entitlement & Maintenance revenues in the quarter were $177.9 million, up 4.8% from $169.8 million reported in the year-ago quarter. The segment's revenues represented around 14.7% of total revenue.

Service revenues were $249.5 million in the quarter, up 16.0% from $215.1 million reported in the year-ago quarter. The segment accounted for 20.7% of total revenue.


Operating Results...
Gross margin on a GAAP basis was 66.3%, slightly down from 66.7% in the year-ago quarter. Improvements from tight cost control have been offset by lower average selling price. Operating income on a GAAP basis was $197.4 million (16.3% of total revenue), compared to $115.4 million (12.7% of total revenue) in the year-earlier quarter. Substantial increase in the company's sales, as well as tight control on operating expenses led to the increase in operating profits. Operating expenses, as a percentage of total revenue, were lower year over year.

Net income on a GAAP basis was $164.6 million, or 42 cents per share, compared with $95.7 million, or 27 cents per share in the prior-year quarter. GAAP net income in the quarter includes amortization of intangible assets, stock-based compensation expenses, restructuring charges, non-cash interest expense and tax gains.

Excluding the above-mentioned special items, net income on a non-GAAP basis, was $202.7 million, or 52 cents per share, compared  with $130.1 million, or 37 cents per share in the year-earlier quarter. However, including stock-based compensation, adjusted EPS in the quarter was 45 cents.


Balance Sheet & Cash Flow...
NetApp exited the quarter with cash, cash equivalents and investments of $4.38 billion, up from $3.92 billion in the previous quarter. Receivables were $446.6 million, an increase of $74.1 million sequentially. Inventories decreased $5.7 million from the prior quarter to $84.7 million.

Long-term deferred revenues were $866.4 million, reflecting a sequential increase of approximately $45.4 million. Long-term debt was $1.33 billion, up from $1.3 billion in the prior quarter.

Cash generated from operations in the quarter was $364.7 million, up from $267.3 million in the prior-year quarter. Capital expenditure in the quarter was $43.3 million, up from $22.8 million in the year-ago quarter.


Guidance...
NetApp expects third quarter 2011 revenues in the range of $1.24 billion to $1.29 billion, representing a 3% to 7% sequential growth and approximately 23% to 28% year-over- year growth. GAAP EPS is expected to range between 39 cents and 41 cents, while non-GAAP EPS is expected to be in the range of 48 cents to 50 cents. The company also expects shares outstanding to be approximately 408 million. NetApp commented that the third quarter forecasts are somewhat conservative, given slowing business trends from Europe.


Our Take...
The quarter's results were encouraging, with both revenues and earnings per share exceeding Zacks Consensus Estimates. We believe that the momentum will continue based on revenue growth trends, strong partnership programs and increasing IT spending.

NetApp is doing well, despite the stiff competition from technical behemoths such as International Business Machines Inc. (NYSE: IBM) and EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) in the data storage and management software space.

Currently, NetApp has a short-term Strong Buy recommendation...