Creating RFPs for SAN Management Solutions

1. Creating RFPs for SAN Management Solutions Marc Farley President, Building Storage Networks, Inc.

2. 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

3. Perspectives on the RFP Process

4. Managing ExpectationsPerspectives on RFPs: • Customer and vendor differences • Define and communicate the process • Estimate the opportunity

5. Managing ExpectationsCustomer and vendor differences I want to go to a big and beautiful canyon

6. Make money Sell technology Minimize support costs Proprietary language Managing ExpectationsCustomer and vendor differences • Optimize value • Implement solution • Competent support • Generic language

7. Managing ExpectationsCommunicate the selection process • Process steps • Deliverables • Dates • Criteria • Metrics • Weights • Cost • References

8. Managing ExpectationsEstimating the opportunity • Immediate opportunity • Opportunity potential • Scope • Local / regional / global • Timing

9. 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

10. Start by knowing what you have… Know What you Want

11. Operating systems File systems Volume managers Device drivers Backup Mirroring/remote copy SRM Network management Know what you wantDefine the solution context • System platforms • Storage platforms • HBAs • Switches/directors • Routers/bridges • Networks (incl virtual nets) • Storage appliances

12. Know what you wantInclude 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

13. Know what you want& how you manage storage today

14. Know what you wantIdentify 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

15. Know what you wantConsider multiple approaches • ApplicationE-mail archiving • StorageVirtualization • SystemHSM, NAS • NetworkVirtual networking

16. Know what you wantPrioritize goals and set objectives

17. Frame the RFP in business terms Don’t limit possible solutions with technology language!

18. Frame the RFP in business termsWrite 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.”

19. 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.”

20. Frame the RFP in business termsFrame 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: • Automated purging and filtering • E-mail specific storage automation, including HSM-like functions • Platform-oriented storage automation or HSM-like function

21. Frame the RFP in business termsList technology requirements • Platform; hardware and software • Protocol; network and storage • Network; cabling, switching, routing, etc… • Storage; subsystems, virtualization, volume managers; drivers, backup, remote copy, etc.. • Management; network and storage

22. PRODUCT # OF UNITS PRICE/UNIT Hard thing 5 $250,000 Maintenance 5 * It depends Soft thing 80 $5000 Maintenance 4 x 20 * It depends Frame the RFP in business termsAsk for a proposed HW/SW solution • Parts list • Numbers • Prices • Units • Licensing terms • Associated costs • Maintenance • Upgrades

23. Full service • Ala Carte Frame the RFP in business termsAsk for installation options • Do it yourself

24. 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

25. Look for potential problems

26. Functional overview of key processes System, network & storage resource requirements Platform testing specifics Installation process and impact Requirements for external products Management topology, interfaces & protocols Warranty and Maintenance Support methods and resources Product life cycle and future development plans Software req’d and detailed description Growth & scalability expectations & limitations Impact on backup and data protection Look for potential problemsAsk for detailed descriptions of:

27. Look for potential problemsEvaluate overlap areas • Network management • Storage management • Data management Always understand the impact that changes in one area may have on the others.

28. Research all responses

29. Research All responsesValidate and consider responses • Cost of goods and services • Explicit • Implicit • Environmental impact • Possible disruptions • Make sure there is time to clarify items

30. Research All responsesInterview references • Vendor-provided references • Independent references • Analyst services / consultants • Question motivations or partialities

31. Making the decision

32. And Jimmy, keep your big phat mouth shut this time, willya?! Making the decision

33. Making the decisionWeigh features & functions • Does it do what you need? • What isn’t covered? • Are there additional benefits?

34. Making the decisionWeigh support and maintenance • Warranty period • Exchange/return policies & costs • Response time and costs • Maintenance pricing over lifecycle • Dynamic, uninterrupted updates?

35. Making the decisionWeigh installation and management • Training requirements • Installation effort and timing • Business interruption for install • Daily, weekly management effort

36. Making the decisionWeigh possible risks • wHat rIsKs? • Financial (budget) • Availability • Security • Operations

37. Making the decisionThe paper trail • Document the decision in sufficient detail • Forge agreement internally, in writing • Losing vendors might turn up the heat – be prepared

38. Making the decisionLetting 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