Feedback from the recent Cassandra Summit highlighted a need for introductory content tailored to those new to Apache Cassandra. In response, DataStax has released a free "Introduction to Apache Cassandra" white paper aimed at tech and IT professionals exploring Cassandra for the first time. The paper provides an overview of Cassandra, its strengths and performance capabilities, as well as top use cases. Other helpful resources are also available for those getting started with NoSQL and Cassandra.