Sam's SAN Diary

Sam Blumenstyk

This Web-only column is a unique opportunity for VARs to learn how to break into the SAN marketplace and understand the mind of the customer, as well as to read in near real-time the forces and decisions that are faced by a typical IT manager. Sam's diary is also a great way to understand the storage marketplace as well as some of the challenges that customers have to overcome to install their first SAN. -- David Strom

Week 1: The Journey Begins

Week 2: Product Selection

Week 3: Vendor Meetings

Week 4: A Change of Heart

Week 5: Figuring Out SAN Specs

Week 6: Quotes Come In

Week 7: Software Demonstrations

Week 8: IBM's Alternative; A Half-Baked Meeting With HP

Week 9: Deadline Approaches

Week 10: Virtual Wedding Bells

Week 11: Dollars And Sense

Week 12: Final Assessments

Week 13: And the Winner Is...

Week 14: Lessons I've Learned

Week 15: The Deal Is Set

Week #16: The Equipment Arrives

Week #17: Are EMC's NAS Products a Fit?

Week #18: Power Up?

Week #19: Assessing the Feasibility of Virtual Servers

Week #20: Local Backup, Front And Center

Week #21: The Project's Cast of Characters

Week #22: The Consequence Of Overlooking Microsoft Components

Week #23: Somewhere Between 'LAN-Free' And 'Server-Free'

Week #24: No SAN Is An Island

Week #25: Design Review

Week #26: Refocusing the Project Scope

Week #27: MirrorView In Production

Week #28: Networking Challenges

Week #29: Conservative Considerations

Week #30: Recovery Challenges

Week #31: Microsoft Gets Down To Business

Week #32: Testing the New Disaster-Recovery Solution

Week #33: Functional Testing And Remaining Work

Week #34: VAR Lessons