New IBM Storage Services

IBM Storage Optimization and Integration Services – transformation strategy is a storage assessment service based on the Management Complexity Factor (MCF). MCF is based on eight metrics that use a series of interviews, workshops, reports, and data analysis to rate your management complexity or maturity against industry standards and IBM best practices. The resulting roadmap of recommendations is intended to help improve your storage maturity, reduce complexity, and drive operational expenditures out of your environment. The service includes the following activities:

Conduct interviews and workshops with your storage staff to gather and define your current storage environment, including business and application information
Analyze your environment against IBM best practices and industry standards
Define recommendations across all eight MCF metrics
Determine your MCF rating
Create your return on investment based on the recommendations
Build a roadmap of recommendations to improve your MCF rating
Create and present your final MCF analysis

IBM Storage Optimization and Integration Services – transformation strategy can also include a periodic update service engagement in which IBM will provide, annually, a strategic update review of your original evaluation. It consists of the following activities:

Review your original evaluation and recommendations
Conduct interviews and gather current data
Track progress made and compare to expectations
Provide updated recommendations which incorporate new data uncovered or changes to your business or technical landscape
Update your MCF analysis documentation and present findings and recommendations

IBM Storage Optimization and Integration Services – global insight installs an IBM software product called Storage Enterprise Resource Planner (SERP) in your environment to enable you to gain insight at the business unit level, cost center level, and application level to help you make critical infrastructure decisions. The software extracts data from your existing storage resource management tools and correlates it with your business asset information, enabling you to answer questions such as:

Which of my business units can be migrated to less expensive storage?
Which of my business units would be impacted by a storage consolidation or upgrade?
Are there any opportunities to reclaim storage?
Is my storage capacity being managed appropriately?

IBM Storage Optimization and Integration Services – global insight will provide with the following types of business reports:

Capacity planning
Configuration management
Reclamation and utilization improvements
Information lifecycle management and right-tiering
Deployment planning
SAN connectivity
Financial transparency and chargeback

Key prerequisites
Software: Any Microsoft Windows client system

Hardware

Server with two 3.0 GHz Intel or compatible processors, 4 GB RAM, and 40 GB hard drive
Client with any Microsoft Windows operating system

Software

Server with Microsoft Windows 2000 Server SP4 or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter, Enterprise, Standard, or Web Edition
Server with Apache / Tomcat 5.0.27
Server with Oracle 9.2.0.8
Client with Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 or SP2, or Javatm JDK 1.4.2_08+
Storage resource management software for storage devices