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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