5 Signs It’s Time to Rethink How You Manage Data – and Why ONTAP Could Help

We’ve yet to come across a SLED entity that is overresourced, overfunded, and overstaffed. Most agencies are being asked to modernize constituent constituent services with limited people, limited budgets, and systems that weren’t designed to work together.

NetApp ONTAP is a data management software platform that unifies file and block storage, works across both on-premises and cloud environments, and includes built-in features for security and efficiency. While not every agency may need it, here are a few signs it may be worth considering for yours:

1. You need to modernize without ripping out core systems.

Legacy systems are everywhere, and replacing them all at once is rarely an option. But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck. ONTAP can help you start modernizing now by unifying data across old and new environments and giving you a single way to manage it. That means you can begin reducing your dependency on older systems methodically – improving performance and service delivery without the risk or cost of a full replacement.

2. Your IT team is stretched thin.

Every minute spent on avoidable maintenance is a minute not spent advancing modernization. You shouldn’t have to choose between managing your current environment and improving it. ONTAP automates routine storage tasks (like policy-based tiering that moves data between performance and archive tiers automatically) so staff don’t have to handle it manually. The result is less time babysitting infrastructure and more time driving projects that improve services and impact constituents.

3. You’re balancing on-prem and cloud environments.

Regardless of where you are along your cloud modernization journey or how much of your storage is still on premise, ONTAP gives you one way to manage data across both types of environments. You can apply the same backup, snapshot, and replication policies, and move data between locations or tiers without rewriting applications. That means you can be thoughtful about what moves to the cloud… and when… without losing control or creating extra complexity.

4. You need security and compliance built in, not bolted on.

If security, auditability, and recovery are table stakes, ONTAP includes capabilities like ransomware protection, immutable copies, encryption, and access controls.

These features reduce the need for extra layers of software or bolt-on solutions. For public sector leaders, that means lower cost, less complexity, and a stronger posture against threats. For constituents, it builds confidence that their data is handled with integrity and compliance in mind.

5. You need to deliver better services now, not years from now.

If you’re under pressure to show progress within a certain time period, ONTAP supports incremental wins. Consolidate a workload, tighten protection and recovery, optimize storage, then expand.

Because ONTAP upgrades and expansions can be non-disruptive, agencies can make improvements step by step while keeping critical services online. Those quick wins, like reducing downtime or speeding up response times, show immediate value while laying the foundation for larger modernization goals.

Closing Thought

Every agency’s context is different, and ONTAP isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. But if these signs sound familiar, it may be worth a closer look. ONTAP offers a way to modernize constituent services with low risk, manageable overhead, and results that both staff and constituents will notice.