NetApp Becomes NFL’s Official Intelligent Data Infrastructure Provider
Meet the Authors
Key Takeaways
⇨ NetApp has partnered with the NFL to enhance intelligent data infrastructure, which aligns with SAP customer needs for real-time analytics and hybrid cloud deployments, key for SAP S/4HANA and analytics workloads.
⇨ The collaboration emphasizes the importance of hybrid data services in SAP modernization, showcasing how organizations are transitioning to distributed, real-time data architectures to improve performance and reduce costs.
⇨ As the data infrastructure market consolidates around performance and flexibility, enterprises are urged to evaluate data fabric solutions that integrate with SAP, focusing on factors like performance under load and backup capabilities when choosing providers.
NetApp has announced a multi-year partnership to become the Official Intelligent Data Infrastructure partner of the National Football League (NFL), focusing on developing new storage technology and speeding up the league’s digital transformation. Although SAP is not explicitly mentioned in the announcement, the implications for SAP customers are significant, especially for those with infrastructure like the NFL, such as industries that require real-time analytics and hybrid cloud deployments.
As part of the deal, NetApp will deliver an intelligent data infrastructure to the NFL that employs advanced, silo-free storage technology. This infrastructure supports many of the same requirements faced by SAP customers when deploying or upgrading SAP S/4HANA and analytics workloads, especially those demanding continuous availability, high performance, and AI-ready architectures.
Renie Anderson, executive vice president and chief revenue officer at the NFL, stated: “The global partnership between the NFL and NetApp represents a shared commitment to leveraging intelligent data to drive transformative solutions for the league. He added that the relationship with NetApp can “unlock new efficiencies that accelerate innovation within our game.”
Explore related questions
Cloud Data Fabric for Real-Time Decision-Making
Although the full extent of the NFL’s use of SAP is not publicly available, it has been reported that the NFL uses SAP for analytics, HR, and fan engagement. For example, SAP and the NFL previously partnered on “Player Comparison Tools” for scouting. Additionally, SAP has reported that the San Francisco 49ers and SAP have a long-standing relationship with SAP Sports One.
These examples of SAP in the NFL are like SAP use cases involving SAP S/4HANA or SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), where near-real-time data access is crucial for predictive analytics, business planning, and field operations. NetApp’s unified approach to hybrid cloud is already validated for SAP workloads and has reportedly been widely adopted by enterprises that need speed, scale, and resilience.
Finally, while the NFL focuses on performance improvement and fan experience, SAP customers in manufacturing, retail, and other industries face similar data delivery challenges. They are increasingly turning to providers like NetApp for a reliable data layer that spans environments and accelerates business results.
What This Means for SAPinsiders
Hybrid data services are becoming vital to SAP modernization efforts. The NFL’s use of NetApp’s data fabric demonstrates how companies are moving toward distributed, real-time data architectures. For SAP users, this trend supports initiatives like SAP S/4HANA migration, advanced analytics, and AI/ML development. According to NetApp, its SAP clients have achieved unified operations and improved performance, with clear reductions in downtime and cost per transaction.
The data infrastructure market is consolidating around performance and flexibility. As enterprise workloads increase in size and complexity, particularly those associated with SAP, organizations are reevaluating their storage and data management strategies. NetApp is not the only provider of intelligent data infrastructure, but it distinguishes itself through its deep integrations with hyperscalers and its SAP validation. Enterprises should evaluate data fabric solutions based on performance under load, native support for SAP workloads, cost-effectiveness across tiers, and capabilities for backup, recovery, and governance.
Start SAP cloud integration with clear use cases and proof of value. Many organizations begin with non-production SAP environments or backup optimization using cloud storage services like NetApp’s Cloud Volumes ONTAP. A phased approach from development to production stages can Reveal bottlenecks and highlight performance gains before scaling up. Common pitfalls include underestimating latency issues and misaligned SLAs between cloud and SAP layers. NetApp reports that its customers have successfully adopted hybrid architectures using NetApp products to support their SAP systems, improving data availability while controlling cloud costs.
Premium
