Veritas-bu

[Veritas-bu] tiered backup offerings

2003-07-11 14:31:11
Subject: [Veritas-bu] tiered backup offerings
From: scott.kendall AT abbott DOT com (scott.kendall AT abbott DOT com)
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 13:31:11 -0500
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Yes, I agree.  That's why I said "instead of charging for tapes as part of =

your backup infrastructure charge" and not "in place of your backup=20
infrastructure charge"

This is by far the most accurate way I can think of dealing with tape=20
costs and it isn't effected by bpexpdates (longer or shorter), media=20
refreshes or capacity increases.

Your infrastructure charges (master/media servers, software, robots, etc.) =

either have to be rolled into the tape cost, charged as a separate item=20
(GB backed up during that month is a good way to do this) or as part of a=20
basic storage monitoring/trending/backup type charge.


- Scott





"Donaldson, Mark" <Mark.Donaldson AT experianems DOT com>
07/11/2003 10:58 AM

=20
        To:     "'scott.kendall AT abbott DOT com'" <scott.kendall AT abbott 
DOT com>, "K=
ee, Jason"=20
<Jason.Kee AT crossmark DOT com>
        cc:     " (veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu)" 
<veritas-bu@mailman.=
eng.auburn.edu>
        Subject:        RE: [Veritas-bu] tiered backup offerings


If you do this, they should also pay a proportional piece of the=20
depreciation for your Master/Media server(s) & your libraries, IMO.
-----Original Message-----
From: scott.kendall AT abbott DOT com [mailto:scott.kendall AT abbott DOT com]
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 7:36 AM
To: Kee, Jason
Cc: (veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu)
Subject: Re: [Veritas-bu] tiered backup offerings


Or instead of charging for tapes as part of your backup infrastructure=20
charge, think of tape as just another storage media that you're selling to =

them (like shared disk space off a SAN array).=20

If you typically keep a tape in your environment for x years, it's easy to =

determine the cost/month of that tape.  Assume 2:1 compression (or a=20
different number if you have a better guess for your environment), and you =

can figure out the cost/month per GB of tape space.  Now lease them the=20
space... run a report each month to calculate the GB of all images for=20
each client (not just the backups ran recently or during that month, but=20
everything they have on tape), multiply it by the cost/month/GB and you=20
have their monthly bill for tape space.=20

It doesn't matter if their fulls are once a day or once a quarter, if=20
their incrementals are big or small, if you have to bpexpdate something=20
because the retention requirements for that data have changed, or even if=20
you have to refresh the media and put it on a new tape... you're a "tape=20
landlord".  Think of each GB of tape space as a little house in Monopoly,=20
now throw those houses on Park Place and start collecting rent!=20


- Scott=20




"Kee, Jason" <Jason.Kee AT crossmark DOT com>=20
Sent by: veritas-bu-admin AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu=20
07/10/2003 01:03 PM=20
       =20
        To:        " (veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu)"=20
<veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu>=20
        cc:        =20
        Subject:        [Veritas-bu] tiered backup offerings



Mr. Kennedy,=20
=20
I suggest that you look into splitting your categories by data retention=20
more than full/differential service levels. Tape costs increase more with=20
retention than anything else. The longer data has to be kept, the less=20
likely a tape can be rotated and re-used for fresh data. For instance, if=20
a customer wishes to keep data on hand for 1 year or more, you effectively =

lose that tape for that long, hence the need to buy more tapes. I would=20
however, make one service level suggestion for the Gold category: offer=20
daily full backups.=20
=20
Lastly, I would suggest that you tailor your prices to the client. A=20
client who needs to retain data longer, needs that data also to be=20
available longer and more often, should be charged more than a client who=20
does not.=20
=20
My company has not yet implemented any chargebacks to internal departments =

for backups, however, this is the strategy I would follow if we were to do =

so.=20
=20
In summary, the questions which need to be answered by a client before=20
pricing occurs are along the same lines as those used to determine the=20
backup policy, and backup policy is, after all, what will tell you how=20
many tapes are being used for a certain class of data.=20
=20
I hope my suggestions have helped, please write if I have been unclear.=20
Thank you!=20
=20
Jason Kee=20
Business Continuance Specialist=20
Infrastructure Security=20
CROSSMARK=AE=20



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<br><font size=3D2 face=3D"Arial">Yes, I agree. &nbsp;That's why I said &qu=
ot;instead of charging for tapes as part of your backup infrastructure char=
ge&quot; and not &quot;in place of your backup infrastructure charge&quot;<=
/font>
<br>
<br><font size=3D2 face=3D"Arial">This is by far the most accurate way I ca=
n think of dealing with tape costs and it isn't effected by bpexpdates (lon=
ger or shorter), media refreshes or capacity increases.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=3D2 face=3D"Arial">Your infrastructure charges (master/media=
 servers, software, robots, etc.) either have to be rolled into the tape co=
st, charged as a separate item (GB backed up during that month is a good wa=
y to do this) or as part of a basic storage monitoring/trending/backup type=
 charge.</font>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=3D2 face=3D"Arial">- Scott</font>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<table width=3D100%>
<tr valign=3Dtop>
<td>
<td><font size=3D1 face=3D"sans-serif"><b>&quot;Donaldson, Mark&quot; &lt;M=
ark.Donaldson AT experianems DOT com&gt;</b></font>
<p><font size=3D1 face=3D"sans-serif">07/11/2003 10:58 AM</font>
<br>
<td><font size=3D1 face=3D"Arial">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </font>
<br><font size=3D1 face=3D"sans-serif">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; To: &nbs=
p; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&quot;'scott.kendall AT abbott DOT com'&quot; 
&lt;scott.ken=
dall AT abbott DOT com&gt;, &quot;Kee, Jason&quot; &lt;Jason.Kee AT crossmark 
DOT com&gt;=
</font>
<br><font size=3D1 face=3D"sans-serif">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; cc: &nbs=
p; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&quot; (veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu)&quot; 
&lt=
;veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu&gt;</font>
<br><font size=3D1 face=3D"sans-serif">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Subject:=
 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;RE: [Veritas-bu] tiered backup offerings</font>=
</table>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=3D2 color=3Dblue face=3D"Arial">If you do this, they should =
also pay a proportional piece of the depreciation for your Master/Media ser=
ver(s) &amp; your libraries, IMO.</font>
<br><font size=3D2 face=3D"Tahoma">-----Original Message-----<b><br>
From:</b> scott.kendall AT abbott DOT com [mailto:scott.kendall AT abbott DOT 
com]<b><br>
Sent:</b> Friday, July 11, 2003 7:36 AM<b><br>
To:</b> Kee, Jason<b><br>
Cc:</b> (veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu)<b><br>
Subject:</b> Re: [Veritas-bu] tiered backup offerings<br>
</font>
<br><font size=3D2 face=3D"Arial"><br>
Or instead of charging for tapes as part of your backup infrastructure char=
ge, think of tape as just another storage media that you're selling to them=
 (like shared disk space off a SAN array).</font><font size=3D3 face=3D"Tim=
es New Roman"> <br>
</font><font size=3D2 face=3D"Arial"><br>
If you typically keep a tape in your environment for x years, it's easy to =
determine the cost/month of that tape. &nbsp;Assume 2:1 compression (or a d=
ifferent number if you have a better guess for your environment), and you c=
an figure out the cost/month per GB of tape space. &nbsp;Now lease them the=
 space... run a report each month to calculate the GB of all images for eac=
h client (not just the backups ran recently or during that month, but every=
thing they have on tape), multiply it by the cost/month/GB and you have the=
ir monthly bill for tape space.</font><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roma=
n"> <br>
</font><font size=3D2 face=3D"Arial"><br>
It doesn't matter if their fulls are once a day or once a quarter, if their=
 incrementals are big or small, if you have to bpexpdate something because =
the retention requirements for that data have changed, or even if you have =
to refresh the media and put it on a new tape... you're a &quot;tape landlo=
rd&quot;. &nbsp;Think of each GB of tape space as a little house in Monopol=
y, now throw those houses on Park Place and start collecting rent!</font><f=
ont size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"> <br>
<br>
</font><font size=3D2 face=3D"Arial"><br>
- Scott</font><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"> <br>
<br>
<br>
</font>
<table width=3D100%>
<tr valign=3Dtop>
<td width=3D1%>
<td width=3D35%><font size=3D1 face=3D"sans-serif"><b>&quot;Kee, Jason&quot=
; &lt;Jason.Kee AT crossmark DOT com&gt;</b></font><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times 
Ne=
w Roman"> </font><font size=3D1 face=3D"sans-serif"><br>
Sent by: veritas-bu-admin AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu</font><font size=3D3 
face=
=3D"Times New Roman"> </font>
<p><font size=3D1 face=3D"sans-serif">07/10/2003 01:03 PM</font><font size=
=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"> </font>
<td width=3D62%><font size=3D1 face=3D"Arial">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <=
/font><font size=3D1 face=3D"sans-serif"><br>
 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;To: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&quot; (veritas-=
bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu)&quot; &lt;veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn 
DOT edu&gt;<=
/font><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"> </font><font size=3D1 face=
=3D"sans-serif"><br>
 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;cc: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</font><font siz=
e=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"> </font><font size=3D1 face=3D"sans-serif"><=
br>
 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Subject: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;[Veritas-bu=
] tiered backup offerings</font></table>
<br><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><br>
<br>
<br>
Mr. Kennedy, <br>
 &nbsp;<br>
I suggest that you look into splitting your categories by data retention mo=
re than full/differential service levels. Tape costs increase more with ret=
ention than anything else. The longer data has to be kept, the less likely =
a tape can be rotated and re-used for fresh data. For instance, if a custom=
er wishes to keep data on hand for 1 year or more, you effectively lose tha=
t tape for that long, hence the need to buy more tapes. I would however, ma=
ke one service level suggestion for the Gold category: offer daily full bac=
kups. <br>
 &nbsp;<br>
Lastly, I would suggest that you tailor your prices to the client. A client=
 who needs to retain data longer, needs that data also to be available long=
er and more often, should be charged more than a client who does not. <br>
 &nbsp;<br>
My company has not yet implemented any chargebacks to internal departments =
for backups, however, this is the strategy I would follow if we were to do =
so. <br>
 &nbsp;</font>
<br><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman">In summary, the questions which=
 need to be answered by a client before pricing occurs are along the same l=
ines as those used to determine the backup policy, and backup policy is, af=
ter all, what will tell you how many tapes are being used for a certain cla=
ss of data. <br>
 &nbsp;<br>
I hope my suggestions have helped, please write if I have been unclear. Tha=
nk you! <br>
 &nbsp;<br>
Jason Kee <br>
Business Continuance Specialist <br>
Infrastructure Security <br>
CROSSMARK=AE <br>
</font>
<br>
<br>
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