In the end, we received bids from just a handful of vendors--mostly trusted names, including a few of the large PC vendors that are now reselling SAN technology. We looked closely at which one was actually going to provide support; we didn't want one vendor installing the SAN, only to toss support to a different vendor.
Packing Slips
After a great deal of consideration, we finally selected a vendor. I can't tell you who it is, because I don't want it or other vendors guessing my true identity. The key factors in our decision were price, the proposed system, support, the vendor's understanding of our requirements and the vendor's level of experience. Our experience turned out to be an essential factor: The vendor we chose was one we had used before and greatly trusted.
We're now in the midst of installing the SAN, and we believe we'll face fewer problems--and a lot less risk--because of the extra time we put into mapping the requirements for the RFP, planning the technology and reviewing the bids. It's better to pay a price early in the process than to pay it later, when you're living with the consequences of making the wrong choice.
Hunter Metatek is an enterprise IT director with 15 years' experience in network engineering and management. The events chronicled in this column are based in fact--only the names are fiction. Write to the author at [email protected].
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