Defence strikes $53m NetApp deal

Defence has struck a three-year, $52.8 million enterprise services agreement with NetApp for storage hardware support, instead of paying for the services annually.

The department revealed the sizable contract at the end of January. It started at the beginning of the year, and runs through until the end of 2026.

Defence has a long history of utilising NetApp storage equipment, dating back to 2010, and some 439 contracts over that time, according to AusTender.

iTnews understands that NetApp proposed the three-year enterprise services agreement or ESA in the fourth quarter of calendar 2023.

The agreement is intended to result in cost savings, enhanced support options and a reduction in administrative overhead in domains that rely on NetApp storage infrastructure.

“Through the negotiated three-year ESA, Defence anticipates achieving better value for money relative to previously established NetApp-Defence annual support arrangements,” a spokesperson for the department told iTnews.

“The ESA will support Defence strategic outcomes by enabling a holistic, whole-of-life enterprise management capability.”

The spokesperson said that the ESA covers support services for NetApp storage hardware used across its ICT ecosystem. 

“This includes storage equipment for data and information up to the enterprise level,” the spokesperson said.

The ESA was established via the Digital Transformation Agency’s whole-of-government hardware marketplace panel.