NetApp StorageGRID 11.8 with Enhanced Security, Simplicity, and User Experience

By Natalia Eichinger, senior product marketing manager, StorageGRID object storage solution, NetApp, Inc.

I’m thrilled to announce the NetApp StorageGRID 11.8 software.

It’s built to elevate the user experience, to enhance security, and to streamline simplicity in the company’s object storage solution. This latest software version is packed with enhancements and innovations that add significant value for our object storage customers like you. Let’s focus on the key improvements.

Increased efficiency
In StorageGRID 11.8, managing your data has become more efficient and user-friendly with the latest improvements to the information lifecycle management (ILM) policy and rules engine. Instead of configuring one large policy, you can now create individual policies for different buckets. This capability makes policy management more straightforward, and also limits the potential for configuration errors and their impact.

Enhanced security
Security remains a top priority. With the new Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) secure boot feature, StorageGRID appliances initiate startup procedures only from verified kernels and use only reliable software. And with FIPS 140-2–ready Transport Layer Security (TLS) cryptography (validation pending), your client connections are kept secure.

To give you more control, the latest high-performance all-flash StorageGRID SGF6112 system now offers a built-in local Key Management Service (KMS). With this feature, you can use encryption keys without the need for 3rd-party key managers. But if you prefer to use an external key manager, support for HashiCorp Vault is now also available.

Simplicity and flexibility
On the simplicity front, StorageGRID 11.8 includes improved mixed-nodes functionality. You can deploy a more flexible combination of SSD and HDD nodes in a single site, achieving SSD performance at nearly HDD prices. This feature simplifies configurations, offers more performance and cost options, and boosts the overall price/performance ratio of your StorageGRID solution.

And in response to customer demand for easier-to-use Simple Storage Service (S3) tools, StorageGRID 11.8 introduces a native S3 console. This new feature alleviates your security concerns and the maintenance challenges associated with command-line and other tools, making your StorageGRID management easier.

Keep improving object storage
There’s more to StorageGRID 11.8 than meets the eye – and more than we have covered here. This latest release has numerous enhancements in manageability, supportability, automation, and simplicity. For example, one of the features to look out for is software readiness for QLC drives.

Resource:
Blog: Detailed technical description of features in blog post Introducing StorageGRID 11.8