ST Mar-Apr 2021

ROUNDTABLE: STRATEGY
"A good way to start is to conceptualise the finish.
Decide what you're trying to get out of the new solution.
Are you looking for more cost-effective means of storing
unused data? Are you trying to enhance the productivity
of remote workers post-COVID?" - Saimon Michelson, CTERA
enhance the productivity of remote
workers post-COVID?"
COME TOGETHER
Those 'deal-breakers' Polet mentions are
crucial when putting together a plan, be it
for a potential life partner or a storage
solution. Ensuring they are taken care of
means that organisations can relax
knowing that their must-haves are
covered.
Scott Sinclair, principal analyst at ESG
Global, tells us what he believes some of
these priorities should be: "For data
storage, the essentials, such as high
availability, performance, cost, and ease
of use, are still important, but those are
really just the beginning of finding the
right solution." Sinclair went on to explain
how some organisations can
underestimate their growth: "Once the
essentials are met, prioritise storage
solutions that provide the most flexibility to
change with the needs of your
organisation, and not just in terms of
adding capacity or even more
performance."
As Veniamin Simonov, director of
product management at NAKIVO
explains, success depends on both the
storage solution and the organisation
involved: "A good understanding from the
organisation, explaining its needs, and
fairly accurate projection for the next few
years are crucial. Then it's a matter of
searching for a solution which is not only
a good fit at present, but is also likely to
be suitable in the coming years.
Afterwards, one or more selected products
should be evaluated and tested."
This is useful advice: as many people in
the dating game will tell us, sometimes
you may think you know what you are
looking for in a partner, but it is only when
you sit down and write a list of priorities
that you form a clear idea of the attributes
your match needs to bring to the table.
Another consideration when trying to
identify 'the one', is how much you are
willing to invest in the relationship.
Spectra Logic's Polet spells out what
should be examined in terms of cost: "The
initial and ongoing costs, the time
requirements, and the flexibility of the
solution must all be weighed before
choosing."
STAND BY ME
Whether the chosen one will be reliable is
another factor: lack of reliability can lead
to a severe breakdown of trust and
reputation, leading to the demise of the
relationship and damaging future ones. In
this case that could be an end user
discounting a particular technology
altogether due to a bad experience.
Doug Williams, Northern Europe
alliance & channel director at Scality,
commented: "It is vital to find a reliable
match that will always show up for you,
whether that is your partner or your data
storage array; this is a deal breaker. IT
organisations should also look for
longevity in their chosen solutions to allow
for growth and development over the
years."
Any IT administrator wishing to enjoy a
fruitful, long-term relationship with its IT
environment also needs to think of anyone
else who may be affected by this
partnership. If their new match is going to
affect other users in their company it is
important that their needs are also taken
into consideration during the selection
stage.
www.storagemagazine.co.uk
@STMagAndAwards Mar/Apr 2021
STORAGE
MAGAZINE
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