Storage Management Strategies for the CIO
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Technical support
Enterprise. Tech support is often the final measure of a product’s value, as responsive and effective support can outweigh skimpy feature sets or other shortcomings. Quantum’s winning 6.49 was achieved by copping the top spot for six of the eight category statements. Oracle (6.34) scored highest on the other two statements for a second-place finish in front of IBM (6.28).
ENTERPRISE TAPE LIBRARIES: TECHNICAL SUPPORT
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Enlarge ENTERPRISE TAPE LIBRARIES: TECHNICAL SUPPORT diagram.
Breaking down the numbers
- Oracle’s two statement winners were a 6.23 for having knowledgeable third-party partners and a 6.26 for providing adequate training.
- No support surprises for tape users: The highest statement average for all vendors was a 6.43 for “Vendor supplies support as contractually specified.”
- Overall, there was only one sub-6.00 statement score, which suggests vendors are doing a pretty good job of supporting their products.
Midrange. For technical support, it was another statement sweep for Quantum, on its way to a 6.77, the second-highest tech support category score ever for midrange tape libraries. Quantum’s scores were high and consistent, ranging from a couple of 6.60 scores to a 6.94. IBM racked up another second-place category finish with a 6.41, while Dell put up a 6.34 for another third-place finish.
MIDRANGE TAPE LIBRARIES: TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Enlarge MIDRANGE TAPE LIBRARIES: TECHNICAL SUPPORT diagram.
Breaking down the numbers
- The top four vendors (Quantum, IBM, Dell and Oracle) all scored above 6.00 on all eight statements.
- Vendors may want to revisit their training practices as the statement with the lowest average score (5.90) was for providing adequate training.
- As with their enterprise cousins, the top support grade for all midrange tape libraries was 6.35 for the vendors delivering support as promised.
This was first published in December 2011
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