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Published: 20 Oct 2012
Tips for lowering the cost of storage support contracts

This article is part of the Vol. 6 No. 3 May 2007 issue of Tips for lowering the cost of storage support contracts

The words "Do more with less" have become cliché in IT, yet year after year storage managers must embark on cost-cutting initiatives such as "right-sizing," technology refreshes and consolidation. To get the most value from your storage dollar, you have to stay flexible. Storage vendors spend a lot of money developing products to draw customers into their lair, and the bait often takes the form of proprietary replication tools that require significant integration expense, management GUIs that don't embrace industry standards like the Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S), and so-called "integrated" software that works only with products from the same vendor. A healthy dose of vendor competition is the key to getting the best price: Once you begin buying proprietary storage, you give up the power to choose and any negotiation becomes a farce. Use the following 10 steps to avoid vendor traps, lower storage prices and retain critical flexibility. 1. Have the courage to select the best product. Choosing the best product at the best price is ... Access >>>

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