From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU]On Behalf Of
Wayne T. Smith
> I recently spent a little time trying to compare *SM and Netbackup
> costs, but ended very frustrated because each is very difficult to
> calculate usability, let alone present and future needs.  I will
> suggest that you be *very* wary of IBM and Veritas proposals, since
> each will try to "win", and thus perhaps not provide the resources you
> need to restore what your business expects in a timely fashion.

I disagree. Do business with a reputable (and competent) dealer who can
offer post-sales support (implementation, on-going support, administration,
etc.). If you've been straightforward with your vendor about your business
needs, there's no way that a rep can "win" a bid without giving you exactly
what you need. Get everything in writing, including business needs, required
SLAs, scopes of work, a timetable of installation and rollout of clients.

The stumbling blocks here are threefold:

One, you have to know and communicate your business needs (unless you're
willing to have a business assessment done by the vendor).

Two, your vendor must know what she/he is doing.

Three, you have to either learn TSM well, get along with TSM support (you
now get a year of  24x7 support when you buy it), or buy services to either
teach you or give ongoing support. You can learn TSM by doing, but you're
*way* better off taking a good class.

If I had to break down the percentage of causes for screwed-up TSM sites by
the three items above, I'd say lack of #1 causes 33%, lack of #2 causes 25%,
and lack of #3 causes 40%. (The remaining 2% are caused by use of buggy/old
versions of TSM, misconfigured networks/hardware, and other miscellaneous
stuff.)

--
Mark Stapleton (stapleton AT berbee DOT com)
Mark Stapleton (stapleton AT berbee DOT com)
Certified TSM consultant
Certified AIX system engineer
MCSE
Berbee Information Networks