Queensland-based System Integration company FLEXdata has become the first local partner for NetApp’s Keystone offering, utilising the hybrid cloud privacy and public cloud features for their business. 

Launched in late 2021, The global, cloud-led, data-centric software company’s Keystone is a storage-as-a-service subscription that offers a range of flexible payment solutions, from pay-as-you-grow to leasing and fixed or variable options.  

These features have made Keystone an ideal ‘on ramp’ software for new-to-cloud to ready-to-scale businesses such as FLEXdata’s clients. 

“Keystone provides an alternative commercial model that aligns with the way more of our customers tell us they want to consume,” Solution Architect for FLEXdata Luke Mulcahy said. 

“We already provide our customers with managed services, but they are currently overlaid on top of client-owned assets, so Keystone enables us to provide more term-flexibility across the overall service.” 

While businesses have been directed to move ‘to the cloud’, there is still a significant percentage who have their core services running on-site with old and expensive-to-replace infrastructure assets.  

Keystone offers organisations that manage large fluctuating data sets a way to scale up and down at will and provide a known cost per terabyte for storing data assets. 

“Keystone presents them with the opportunity to refresh their on-premises equipment to align with their business spending models while continuing their cloud journey,” Mr Mulcahy said. 

“It provides them with a bridge to consume infrastructure as a service, save money while improving performance, and eliminate the risks inherent in using ageing technology. And they can choose to manage their own infrastructure if they have the capability, or ask us to do it for them.” 

Director of Channel and Alliances at NetApp Australia and New Zealand Neville James said he was delighted that FLEXdata added Keystone to their service portfolio. 

“We’re honoured to partner with such an innovative and dynamic company in Queensland, and we’re looking forward to supporting more local customers with our unique technology and FLEXdata’s exclusive services,” he said. 

FLEXdata has already entered discussions with several organisations that are excited about transitioning to Keystone in conjunction with their own managed services offering. The company is currently well-placed to achieve the Keystone Operations Services Certified (KOSC) level, where NetApp provides Level 1 and 2 support and responsibility for hardware break/fix.  

“KOSC perfectly reflects our existing operational model; it’s a natural extension of what we’re already doing,” Mr Mulcahy said.  

“Due to our relationship with NetApp, we already held the bulk of the certifications needed, and we achieved the remaining ones over just a few weeks.” 

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.

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