NetApp has unveiled new storage solutions for SharePoint 2010, including NetApp SnapManager 6.0 due out in August 2010 to provide policy-based management of data.

This will allow SharePoint 2010 users to automatically place data files based on location, size, or type in lower-cost SATA storage, for optimised storage resources and reduced storage costs.

SnapManager 6.0 promises the ability for SharePoint Server 2010 users to manage their expanded data, which can include Server Message Block (SMB) shares and Microsoft Exchange public folder data, on NetApp’s unified storage architecture for improved storage efficiencies.

Management of this data is transparent, enabling the same SharePoint Server interfaceto be used to access, share, and utilise data without regard to where it is physically stored.

As the scope of content managed within SharePoint grows, SnapManager 6.0 is able to help manage storage requirements. SnapManager 6.0 will support Remote BLOB Storage (RBS), allowing users to store and manage content objects outside of Microsoft SQL Server for improved scalability and flexibility. This support builds on SnapManager 5.0’s ability to manage External BLOB Storage (EBS) in SharePoint Server 2007 SP1 environments.

NetApp support for SharePoint Server 2010 also extends to Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, the underlying database for SharePoint Server. NetApp SnapManager for SQL Server provides customers with high-availability and also helps database administrators backup and restore, as well as clone production SQL Server databases in seconds, resulting in improved application availability.