HCLTech and NetApp have expanded their partnership to offer hybrid cloud storage-as-a-service (STaaS), aimed at helping enterprises scale artificial intelligence (AI) and data-intensive workloads without making large upfront infrastructure investments.
The offering combines HCLTech’s Utility for Everything (U4X) digital infrastructure framework with NetApp Keystone, a pay-as-you-go storage service. The model enables enterprises to scale storage, performance and data services based on evolving workload requirements.
The companies said the solution is designed to support AI and generative AI applications alongside traditional enterprise workloads, giving organisations greater flexibility as their data and computing requirements evolve.
Consumption-led model for AI workloads
The integrated offering brings together HCLTech’s consumption-led infrastructure operating model and NetApp’s data management capabilities. It is designed to help enterprises move from AI pilots to broader, production-scale deployments by improving data readiness, governance and infrastructure flexibility.
The solution also enables organisations to run workloads closer to where their data resides, potentially improving operational efficiency and reducing the time required to derive value from AI investments.
AI development, deployment and operations are supported through HCLTech’s AI Factory suite of offerings, while NetApp’s data infrastructure capabilities provide the underlying storage and data-management layer.
Flexibility without heavy upfront investment
The companies said the offering builds on deployments across industries where businesses have modernised their data infrastructure and adopted consumption-based operating models.
In one example, a global food and beverage company improved operational flexibility and reduced upfront investments through a consumption-based infrastructure model. A European telecommunications provider, meanwhile, used the combined capabilities to improve scalability and resilience across distributed environments while meeting regulatory requirements.
The partnership comes as enterprises increasingly seek to scale AI beyond experimentation while managing infrastructure costs, data governance and regulatory requirements.
Focus on enterprise-scale AI
NetApp Chief Partner and Ecosystem Officer Alvaro Celis said the collaboration reflects a focus on co-creating technology offerings, business models, solutions and services that deliver customer value.
The offering gives customers access to NetApp’s intelligent data infrastructure through a flexible business model, supported by HCLTech’s implementation expertise.
HCLTech Senior Vice President, Hybrid Cloud Business Unit, Rampal Singh, said the collaboration is aimed at helping enterprises scale AI in a pragmatic and efficient manner.
Combining flexible infrastructure models with data-management capabilities would help clients unlock the value of their data and accelerate their AI journeys.
The expanded partnership positions hybrid cloud storage-as-a-service as a potential bridge between growing enterprise AI requirements and the need for more flexible, scalable and cost-conscious IT infrastructure.