We recently partnered with IDC to look into the cost of storage, and the end result makes very interesting reading. The output from IDC’s research project is available at www.delliview.com – and, with six key focus areas, it provides a fantastic sales tool for Dell Partners. This IDC content delivers independent validation of the storage strategy partners are pursuing with Dell, including primary research by IDC into the costs and return of different storage regimes, a financial analysis and an IDC opinion piece.
IDC interviewed Dell customers and applied its research methodologies to calculate cost savings – and the results are revealing. For example, extending the working life of arrays creates significant savings – a benefit that, if you sell Compellent, you’ll be very familiar with. Nick Sundby, Consulting Director at IDC, provides an excellent summary of the conclusions in a video on the site.
The IDC research identifies what IT organisations look for in storage solutions, and how they can get more value out of their purchases. When it comes to storage projects, the up-front cost is usually a tiny part of the overall running cost of a company’s storage solution. IDC explore how the old dollar-per-Gigabyte model is an outdated way of measuring value, and in fact has become rather misleading. Other factors, such as software licensing, the operational characteristics of different storage arrays and the day-to-day working environment, all influence the true cost of storage arrays.
Of all the content from IDC, the tool that really stands out for me is the white paper – and it’s not just any white paper. With the addition of some initial information about your customer’s business, this dynamic white paper generates a customised report. This report identifies specific savings that could be made, including downtime, IT staff productivity and general cost reduction, and concludes with a three-year ROI cost analysis for the customer.
All of this IDC content, by the way, is supported by an advertising campaign across a number of IDG web properties, such as ComputerWorld and CIO, as well as ChannelEye.co.uk.
These are just some of the highlights. Take a look for yourself at http://www.delliview.com, and see how this resource can help your Dell storage sales activities.
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