Storage Management Strategies for the CIO
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Initial product quality
If the sales
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process sets the tone, flipping the “on” switch for the first time is likely to be
a defining experience as well. All the vendors appear adept at making a good impression with their
midrange ware, with an overall category average of 6.70 -- barely a whisker off the previous high
of 6.71. The group was led by IBM, which posted the only 7.00-plus category score with a 7.09. Dell
(6.97) and Oracle (6.90) finished a close second and third, respectively, with the rest of the
group putting up solid scores as well.
Breaking down the numbers
- IBM scored 7.02 or better on five of the six category statements, with a high of 7.31 for “This product was installed without any defects.”
- Dell netted 7.00-plus ratings on four statements, with a group-leading 7.00 for “The product requires very little vendor intervention.”
- Oracle earned the only other over-7.00 score with a 7.07 for installing without defects.
Key stat
6.95: IBM’s “lowest” statement score (for “The product requires very little vendor intervention”) still nearly won.
Product features
While there are many factors contributing to the final impression of a product, features and capabilities can trump all other considerations. But users can be harsh judges and, as a result, the overall category average for these midrange product lines tied for the group’s second lowest at 6.56. That’s not to suggest the scores were bad, just a bit lower with IBM (6.84) and Oracle (6.83) finishing in a virtual dead heat at the top of the stack, followed by another near-dead-heat finish between Dell (6.67) and NetApp (6.66) to fill out the top four spots.
Breaking down the numbers
- IBM and Oracle posted 7.00 scores for scaling (IBM) and mirroring features (Oracle).
- NetApp, with a 6.80, led the group on the remote replication statement, a traditional strength of the vendor.
- IBM came close to 7.00 scores on interoperability (6.95) and “Overall, this product’s features meet my needs” (6.93).
Key stat
5: The number of statements that IBM scored highest on (out of seven).
This was first published in September 2012
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