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Creating RFPs for SAN Management Solutions
Marc Farley
President, Building Storage Networks, Inc.
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Agenda Perspectives on the RFP process
Manage expectations to get the best results
Defining your goals Know what you want Form the request in business terms Look for potential problems
Making the final decision Consider all relevant inputs Weigh features, functions, support, training and cost
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Perspectives on the RFP Process
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Managing Expectations Perspectives on RFPs:
Customer and vendor differences
Define and communicate the process
Estimate the opportunity
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Managing Expectations Customer and vendor differences
I want to go to a big and beautiful canyon
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Managing Expectations Customer and vendor differences
1. Optimize value
2. Implement solution
3. Competent support
4. Generic language
1. Make money
2. Sell technology
3. Minimize support
costs
4. Proprietary language
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Managing Expectations Communicate the selection process
Process steps Deliverables Dates
Criteria Metrics Weights Cost References
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Managing Expectations Estimating the opportunity
Immediate opportunity
Opportunity potential
Scope• Local / regional / global
Timing
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And now a word from our sponsor:
Effective use of consultants
Don’t outsource requirements!
Educate your team Don’t abdicate the
responsibility
3rd-party feedback is valuable
Identify blind spots
Catch errors and misconceptions
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Know What you Want
Start by knowing what you have…
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Know what you want
Define the solution context
System platforms
Storage platforms
HBAs
Switches/directors
Routers/bridges
Networks (incl virtual nets)
Storage appliances
Operating systems
File systems
Volume managers
Device drivers
Backup
Mirroring/remote copy
SRM
Network management
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Know what you want
Include operating parameters
24 X 7 for web servers
1:00 to 5:00 backup window
200 max email users per server
1.5 sec max response time• Currently 1.2 secs
35% growth rate of stored data
93% maximum volume full
Remote copies of patient records
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Know what you want
& how you manage storage today
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Know what you want
Identify areas to improve or change
Increase data availability
Reduce storage costs
Increase efficiencies
Reduce risk exposure
Bolster business continuity
Comply with a new legal requirement
Your favorite here
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Know what you want
Consider multiple approaches
Application
E-mail archiving
Storage
Virtualization
System
HSM, NAS
Network
Virtual networking
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Know what you wantPrioritize goals and set objectives
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Frame the RFP in business terms
Don’t limit possible solutions with technology language!
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Frame the RFP in business terms
Write a high-level overview
“Our Co has 20 e-mail servers running on Linux/Intel systems that regularly have disk full conditions, forcing users to purge e-mail records once a month, resulting in a serious loss of productivity.”
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Frame the RFP in business terms
Write a high-level overview
“We have plans to integrate these servers into our existing SAN with virtual, pooled storage.
Our goal is to eliminate user e-mail purging through storage and/or data management products and practices. This will be done without increasing the risk of data loss, decreasing data availability or increasing our administrative burden.”
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Frame the RFP in business terms Frame the solution:
A hardware and/or software solution for disk full conditions
on e-mail servers that reduces productivity problems with
monthly user purging. Solutions could include, but are not
limited to:
1. Automated purging and filtering
2. E-mail specific storage automation, including HSM-like
functions
3. Platform-oriented storage automation or HSM-like function
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Frame the RFP in business terms List technology requirements
1. Platform; hardware and software
2. Protocol; network and storage
3. Network; cabling, switching, routing, etc…
4. Storage; subsystems, virtualization, volume managers; drivers, backup, remote copy, etc..
5. Management; network and storage
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Frame the RFP in business terms Ask for a proposed HW/SW solution
Parts list
• Numbers
• Prices
• Units
• Licensing terms
Associated costs
• Maintenance
• Upgrades
$500080Soft thing
* It depends4 x 20Maintenance
* It depends5Maintenance
$250,0005Hard thing
PRICE/UNIT# OF UNITSPRODUCT
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•Full service
Frame the RFP in business terms
Ask for installation options
Do it yourself
•Ala Carte
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Manage the RFP as a business process:
Communicate and monitor deadlines and due
dates
Schedule internal resources to process vendor
responses
Respond quickly to inquiries from vendors
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Look for potential problems
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Look for potential problems Ask for detailed descriptions of:
Product life cycle and future development plans
Support methods and resources
Warranty and Maintenance
Growth & scalability expectations & limitations
Impact on backup and data protection
Software req’d and detailed description
Management topology, interfaces & protocols
Requirements for external products
Installation process and impact
System, network & storage resource requirements
Platform testing specifics
Functional overview of key processes
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Look for potential problems Evaluate overlap areas
Always understand the impact that changes in one area may have on the others.
Network
management
Storage
management
Data management
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Research all responses
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Research All responses Validate and consider responses
Cost of goods and services Explicit Implicit
Environmental impact Possible disruptions
Make sure there is time to clarify items
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Research All responses Interview references
Vendor-provided references
Independent references
Analyst services / consultants
Question motivations or partialities
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Making the decision
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Making the decision
And Jimmy, keep your big phat mouth shut this
time, willya?!
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Making the decision Weigh features & functions
Does it do what you need?
What isn’t covered?
Are there additional benefits?
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Making the decision Weigh support and maintenance
Warranty period
Exchange/return policies & costs
Response time and costs
Maintenance pricing over lifecycle
Dynamic, uninterrupted updates?
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Making the decision Weigh installation and management
Training requirements
Installation effort and timing
Business interruption for install
Daily, weekly management effort
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Making the decision Weigh possible risks
wHat rIsKs?• Financial (budget)
• Availability
• Security
• Operations
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Making the decision The paper trail
Document the decision in sufficient detail
Forge agreement internally, in writing
Losing vendors might turn up the heat – be prepared
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Making the decision Letting participants know
To winners: inform of next steps
To losers: inform who won, don’t list
reasons and thanks them for their
participation and effort