Getting Started In Storage Virtualization

Rolf Strasheim, director of client solutions at Peak UpTime, a Tulsa, Okla.-based storage solution provider, on getting started with thin provisioning.

EDUCATE CUSTOMERS SO THEY UNDERSTAND THE RISKS: Thin provisioning is an easy topic to discuss with customers. The argument is compelling. But just to randomly turn it on is irresponsible. We need to know [that] they understand the technology before we introduce them to the tools.

UNDERSTAND THIN PROVISIONING AND THE IMPLICATIONS OF UNDERALLOCATING STORAGE SPACE: The good, we all know. The big draw is getting a higher utilization out of their storage investment. Who doesn't want that? But if customers underallocate storage, they need to know the downfall. They need to maintain it on a weekly and monthly basis.

CHECK INTO THE CREDENTIALS OF THE VENDOR: If I put myself in my customers' shoes, I would want to talk to someone else who worked with the manufacturer. Just as an end user would shop around, VARs need to ask for references. Get white papers. Dig deeper.

GET VENDOR REFERENCES FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS: If you haven't partnered with a vendor already, look for references for manufacturers from the end users. Talking to a customer is a good way to get a feel for a vendor.

KNOW HOW THE VENDOR WILL PROTECT YOUR CUSTOMERS: Ask the vendors what technology they have put in place to protect your end-user customers. If I have 50 Tbytes of storage, are you going to let me divide it up into 50 1-Tbyte portions? Are you going to let me so grossly oversubscribe the storage that my chance of risk is high? Using automotive terminology, what are the airbags that protect me if I hit a brick wall?

FIND OUT HOW WELL CUSTOMERS KNOW THEIR OWN STORAGE NEEDS: Customers need to have a good feel for their own storage utilization rates. If they say they're running at 40 percent utilization, it shows they have a feel for it. I don't care what the exact number is as long as they have a good feel for their storage.