How Do You Keep Up with Enterprise-level Tech? 41
A user asks: "I'm curious how the Slashdot gang chooses to keep up with the performance of high-level equipment for servers, routers, loadbalancing, and the like? For PC-type specs it's easy, every guy and his dog has a review website, and magazines stuff themselves in every window. However, the higher-end equipment is far more difficult to find trustworthy analysis of.
I'm curious how other people have solved this problem, and what resources they use to keep on top of the game?"
Simple (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Simple (Score:3, Interesting)
If I am buying a $1 million dollar software package from some vendor, and they tell me it absolutely has to run on one of these 1 models of Sun servers (2 of them discontinued models and 1 of them $250k new), who am I to argue? If the software ever doesn't do something it was supposed to do they would always come back with "well its only tested on this particular machine so we can't support you."
Very frustrating
Re:Simple (Score:1)
I once installed an application for a customer where the software "vendor" only supported a particular hardware configuration. They ended up getting 4 complete devices so that they would be able to "quick swap" a component in case the hardware failed... The software was custom written and it was before "open source"; but the customer DID get rights to the source code...
[1 production machine, 1 testing machine, and 2 "spare parts" machines]
Any down time on tha
Re:Simple (Score:1)
That's peanuts.
Some of the systems we manage cost MILLIONS an hour in downtime, easy.
It really sucks when you have 48k employees that can't sell anything, can't help customers, and well, really can't do anything.
That's how you convince manangement to build a complete replica of production as a QA environment.
Simple.... (Score:2, Insightful)
Well, lets see... (Score:5, Informative)
1) What are my competitors using?
2) Do any of my current vendors have a solution, and it is worth it?
3) Who is number 1 at the technology I'm interested in, and why?
4) Am I going to need contractors for initial implementation, or is the talent for this technology in house?
5) What's training going to be like?
Then you do a whole lot of research and select vendors(s). You let them come out and do a presentation if that's appropriate. Nine times out of ten, you'll end up going with the proven solution that a lot of people are already using. It's easy to make a business case for a known quantity.
Unfortunately, that's not how it usually works out. Other things color the decision like:
1) This friend of mine still works at this company and I'd like to throw them a bone.
2) For political reasons, we like company A.
3) The upper management prefer product C because of the pretty colors, and because so-and-so heard it was great at some cocktail party.
4) We are going to use solution D and that's official from upper management. There is no discussion. They read about it in CIO Monthly.
5) I have stock in company E.
You get the picture.
Re:Well, lets see... (Score:3, Insightful)
We have to go with this option because it is the absolute cheapest.
Re:Well, lets see... (Score:3, Interesting)
In the ideal world one would decide what is needed to do the job, send out a mess of RFQ's with appropriate penalties for 'failure to perform' in all categories of import (including timely delivery), and let the vendors figure out how to meet your needs.
Of course, it's more work to detail requirements than to WAG hardware that has enough oomph to CYA. It's less fun researching than hitting a 3 martini lunch and maybe a weekend of golf and strip clubs with the vendors.
In the end, you can have the best of
How do I... (Score:3, Funny)
The Register (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.theregister.com/enterprise/ [theregister.com]
BOFH Junket (Score:3, Funny)
benchmark (Score:3, Interesting)
Not always available or appropriate, but you do your research and take the plunge--but before you put all 20,000 users on the chosen solution, you try it out with 100 and then scale it up as it is proved.
The problem with this is that some products are only available to WAN type solutions, so it's either 20,000 users or none. For those, it's naturally more difficult; who do you ask about how the thing is going to work? How many other institutions use the exact product you're investigating, in an environment that's analogous to yours, who also isn't a competitor and therefore not willing to reveal their competitive advantages?
For those, I'd say: do your research as others above have suggested, but then it comes down to nailing the vendor on deliverables--what are the consequences of the product not performing as promised? Rebate, return, free upgrade to the bug-squished version? And support contracts--how much support time does the solution come with to make it work as advertised?
If anyone who wants to sell to the Enterprise isn't willing to give you both written guarantees as to performance--and consequences for failing to perform--as well as some support, they're not really ready to be an Enterprise vendor. That's part of what that $1M buys you.
Call the vendor up and have them educate you (Score:2)
If you're planning on buying something that is... otherwise.... hmmm why, it will all change by the time you need to make a decision.
Re:Call the vendor up and have them educate you (Score:1)
Sure, it's usually a bunch of crap, but the tshirts make good rags for cleaning your bathroom.
Enterprise-level tech? (Score:1, Funny)
Gartner Group reports (Score:2, Informative)
But, basically, you have to find someone who 1) has the money to do the researc
Call up the vendor (Score:1)
You do your own testing... (Score:2)
It's called due diligence. Just Do It.
-Isaac
I for one (Score:2)
This is what I do... (Score:4, Funny)
* Level 5 diagnostics every hour
* Level 3 diagnostics on first sign of battle ready
* Level 1 diagnostics once a year
* Inspection of warp coils for tetrion or verteron particles. These can cause poor engine performance.
enterprise == commodity (Score:3, Funny)
Analysts (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.metagroup.com/ [metagroup.com]
http://www.idc.com/ [idc.com]
http://www.forrester.com/ [forrester.com]
http://www.idg.com/ [idg.com]
http://www.jupiterresearch.com/ [jupiterresearch.com]
http://www.yankeegroup.com/ [yankeegroup.com]
http://www.aberdeen.com/ [aberdeen.com]
http://www.amrresearch.com/ [amrresearch.com]
And yes, they all cost money. If you're an enterprise and you want input on how to spend you tens-of-thousands to multi-million-dollar IT budget, you can shell out a few more dollars to get some research.
Re:Analysts (Score:2)
Aren't a few of those companies on the "don't have a clue"/"will parrot any opinion for a price" list?
Re:Analysts (Score:3, Insightful)
Aren't a few of those companies on the "don't have a clue"/"will parrot any opinion for a price" list?
I make no claims about the quality of opinions. And they may even have opinions that you disagree with! But if you're looking for opinions, forecasts, comparisons and analysis, it's there. Sure, some may be biased, but how could it be worse than just going straight to vendors?
Besides, most of them just repeat what other users are doing... so if you ask what OS to use, they just tell you what everyone el
Re:Analysts (Score:2)
Re:Analysts (Score:2)
Sure, you can avoid doing your homework, but is what you get really going to be the best possible solution to your business problems?
Experimentation Lab Environment (Score:3, Insightful)
If you can find a company where mangement listens to tech, it is usually pretty easy to justify this experimentation lab environment. You still have to show how having it is better than not having it, and how much it will cost over the next three years. But that's no different than any other project in techland.
Companies where the upper management drives tech decisions are generally not the best places to work. I tend to avoid them. I guess I've been lucky because of my particular micro-field (e-commerce perl programmer), while others I know always end up in top-down organizations (java programmers).
Evaluate them yourself for *your* environment (Score:2, Interesting)
The Starfleet way. (Score:4, Funny)
REVERSE THE POLARITY!
Oh, wrong Enterprise...
Trade Dailies and Common Sense (Score:2)
If you have the money, set up a test lab. Vendors are more wary to loan eval hw than they were in the dotcom era but a relationship with a good salesman can always finagle some product.
Have the suits do the talking if you are buz
Enterprise level? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Enterprise level? (Score:1)
Re:Enterprise level? (Score:2)
K.I.S.S (Score:1)
1) Switchs and Routers are all Cisco devices. Using Cisco NNM to monitor, configure and control them.
2) All servers, printers, Pc's and laptops are all HP. All controlled by Insight Manager.
3) All UPS are from APC and we use InfrastrXure manager (everything has a SNMP card) to make sure 1 & 2 are powered on. Keep it simple, don't mismatch products.
Why, I read Slashdot! (Score:2)
Have fun with it. (Score:2)
1. Make damn sure you fully understand your own needs. A mistake here is going to get you serious butthurt in the long run. On the other hand, if you really understand what you need, the products that match kinda jump out at you. A lot of folks run off half cocked chasing new toys, then find themselves working like dogs to implement a whizz-bang solution that simp