Continued from
page 3.Technical support
In most of our surveys, we've been surprised to find that
product support hasn't been a big differentiator. However, this
year's midrange survey provided as broad a spectrum of scores as
the other categories. EqualLogic was again the winner, posting a
5.96 (see "Technical support," p. 40). Sun FlexLine finished a
close second with a 5.85. Sun's 6000 series had its highest ranking
in this category, placing two spots behind its FlexLine sibling
with a 5.31. This scenario was exactly the same as last year's for
that company's products.
Because many midrange array systems are sold through resellers,
we were interested in how those partners were viewed by customers.
In many cases, the reseller provides initial (Level 1) technical
support. When we posed the statement "My vendor's third-party
partners are knowledgeable," EqualLogic recorded a score of 6.07.
Moreover, the company's partners can apparently resolve most
problems themselves, as users awarded the statement "Problems
rarely require escalation" with a score of 6.13.
Although EqualLogic had the best scores for partner knowledge,
it was hardly a runaway. Both HP and Sun FlexLine scored 6.00
regarding the knowledge of their partners. "[Sun's FlexLine] onsite
people are just absolutely fantastic," said Velocity Express'
Weissman. "They go over and above." Even IBM, which otherwise had
lackluster results, recorded a solid 5.75 in this area. "Whenever I
have called their support, they've been excellent," said Compton
Petroleum's Rickards. "They've set up the exact scenario that I've
got in their lab and have always been able to duplicate the
problems."
Rami Elyas, a member of the enterprise data storage and recovery
services group at Lilydale Inc. in Edmonton, AB, which is also an
IBM DS4300 user, said, "The support has been really good. We've
always been able to get the parts here within a day."
In our survey, the differentiator was the need to escalate
problems. For this statement, Sun fell to a 5.53, HP to 5.30 and
IBM to 4.67.
Sales-force competence
We've found a direct correlation between a vendor's sales-force
competence and its overall results. Winners of prior Quality Awards
have always finished in the top two in this category; in this
survey, Sun's FlexLine topped all others with a 5.88, while
EqualLogic was second with a 5.57, which was its lowest score in
any category (see "Sales-force competence," p. 40). Comparing Sun's
FlexLine results to the results for its 6000 series is interesting
because the 6000 finished sixth with a score of 5.17. In the case
of FlexLine, 50% of systems were purchased through resellers,
whereas 90% of the 6000s were purchased directly from Sun. Eighty
percent of EqualLogic's systems were purchased through a
value-added reseller (VAR).
Sun FlexLine scored a 6.07 for "My sales support personnel are
knowledgeable." It also scored very well for "My sales rep is
flexible" (5.97). EqualLogic had its highest ratings for "My sales
rep keeps my interests foremost" and "My sales support personnel
are knowledgeable." EqualLogic's weakest area was for the statement
"My sales rep understands my business" (5.33).
Weissman undertook an extensive evaluation project before
purchasing a midrange array. "We eventually narrowed it down to
EMC, Hitachi and StorageTek," said Weissman. "We fully realized
that all three would have worked."
Eventually, Velocity eliminated EMC because of
less-than-satisfactory performance and Hitachi because of its
complex software, and settled on a Sun FlexLine array. "We didn't
have any strong bonds with any particular vendor of storage, so
they weren't really able to influence our decisions," said
Weissman.
Similarly, Rickards did a careful analysis of alternatives when
his company was looking to replace its IBM DS4300. "Price was part
of the initial discussions," said Rickards, "but as we got further
in, realizing the differences and how they each price, we very
quickly discarded that because it looked like it was going to be a
moot point for the amount of storage we were looking to buy."
Although the firm's experience with the IBM array was positive, it
opted for an EMC Clariion.
Hard-nosed bargaining is sometimes called for. "If you have to
pay list price for an [HP] EVA, I think you're paying way too
much," Argonne's Salbego. "They're very willing to negotiate, but
does that mean I know if I'm leaving money on the table or
not?"
Lilydale's Elyas said they put their trust in their VAR. "We
worked closely with the VAR and IBM," said Elyas. "We used the
reseller because they know our business pretty well and it was a
nonbiased view—they didn't have much to gain whether we bought IBM
or Hitachi or EMC."
About the authors and about the survey,
page 5.