James, once again for the record let me state how grateful
I am that you and Leslie perform the services you do here. Sticking your neck
out in the forum on a daily basis has got to have some um, negative consequences
from time to time. I have never been unhappy about the response I have gotten
from the forum or from support.
What IBM doesn't realize is that for smaller customers,
like us, we are nearly disconnected from Tivoli representation. Being in
Nebraska, I don't even have a Tivoli represenative in my state. I have rarely
talked to my tivoli rep because it changes so frequently and the people are
totally NetView illiterate. I can tell you that my tivoli rep is very good about
selling me ITM licenses. That's about it. Part of the problem is that the
marketing/sales reps don't have the broad experience to answer questions about
the product family. There are so many tivoli products and many have gone through
name changes and repackaging that make it nearly impossible to talk
intelligently. (I am still not entirely sure what Tivoili business systems
manager does for instance).
It is my hope that
Mike Odom, or whoever has replaced him and Danielle Ottleyson (that can't be
spelled right) or Maria Tyler (sorry if I have that name wrong too) and people
who should have an ear listening for this stuff can take input from here as well
as through my marketing rep.
Thanks again.
Scott,
As an IBMer, let me just say that no matter how valid
nor how emphatically you state your case here, there is no one in IBM who is
allowed to answer your charges nor address your long-term concerns on a public
forum. That is company policy dating back decades.
Have you asked your IBM/Tivoli marketing rep to get you
a nondisclosure agreement so that you can talk directly with NetView
development and the executives who are their seniors?
Making your case here is not likely to
move them. There are people from other firms who do get IBM's attention,
but it typically takes a personal connection. I see notes from senior
executives at least monthly asking what we can do for this customer or that
one, with whom they have visited or spoken to. If you want visibility,
then I'm afraid that's what you will have to do. You will need your own
management's backing as well, since they will likely be asked to participate
in the discussions.
I hope this
helps in some small way towards getting your concerns addressed.
James Shanks Level 3 Support for
Tivoli NetView for UNIX and Windows Tivoli Software / IBM Software
Group
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