2006 CHANNEL CHAMPIONS

Network Storage Hardware

Champs: Hewlett-Packard, IBM

CRN logo By Timothy Long, ChannelWeb

3:00 PM EDT Fri. Apr. 14, 2006
From the April 17, 2006 issue of CRN
While solution providers like the security built into IBM's network storage hardware, they gave Hewlett-Packard kudos for the margins and rebates on its storage arrays. The result: HP and IBM fought to a tie in the network storage hardware category of this year's CRN Channel Champions survey.

Both vendors received an overall solution provider satisfaction rating of 77. Next in line were Sun Microsystems (74.7), EMC (74), Network Appliance (72.9) and Hitachi Data Systems (71.7).

HP earned the highest marks in channel program satisfaction, where it pushed past IBM by a half-point thanks to its sizeable 4.3-point lead in the area of margins and rebates. Felise Katz, CEO of PKA Technologies, Suffern, N.Y., said while margins can be impacted in bidding situations, she was "reasonably happy" with the returns PKA's storage business generates as an exclusive HP TSG partner.

IBM turned the tables in technical areas, where it pulled ahead of HP by seven-tenths of a point. IBM's technical satisfaction win rested on a big score in security, where it held a 4.3-point advantage over HP, along with a 1.4-point lead in product reliability.

"One aspect of security is all about reliability, and IBM doesn't chintz out on their SAN products in that area," said Hunt Russell, director of business development at Evolving Solutions, Hamel, Minn.

What kept the race so tight is that both vendors were very closely matched on other criteria. Solution providers gave the two companies the same scores for responsiveness, ROI, interoperability, scalability and price/performance.

In other areas, HP edged ahead in consistency of channel programs, service revenue, reducing channel conflict, and management and configuration features, while IBM took the lead in vendor support, technical education and keeping solution providers informed.

Network Storage Hardware

 
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