I had the opportunity to be involved in a side by side compare of the VCE VBLOCK System and a comparable solution from HP. While I like the VBLOCK solution, I have a hard time with the TCO of the solution.
The benefits of the VBLOCK solution is the all in one rack design and it is built together, tested, and delivered to the customer as a 1 rack solution. That has many benefits to many organizations, more so today with small IT teams in organizations. Plus the solution is made up of the leaders in the industry, EMC, VMware, Cisco and Intel. I also like the management tools that come with the solution, so overall, I give it a C+.
There are other solutions out there that offer same if not better all in one model, with great management tools, and support. More important with a better TCO over the life of the solution. I had a CIO ask me the other day about my thoughts on Cisco and where they are going. Still a leader in network hardware? While I think they are still a leader, they are no longer the only game in town, and there are some great network switches and equipment available from other manufactures. For the overall cost, I still like the HP pro curve for edge switches, small offices and such. I have a hard time to justify to a customer why spend all that money with Cisco to purchase and then year after year SmartNet costs. This applies to the VBLOCK solution.
Cisco has a great marketing machine, and while they make many claims regarding speed, performance, reliability, there is nothing here the other guys don't have. My recommendation is to do your homework, look at the cost, and look at what it is you are trying to solve and the capability you need to deliver.
Keep it positive!
Scott Arnett
www.arnettservicesgroup.com
About Me
- Scott Arnett
- Scott Arnett is an Information Technology & Security Professional Executive with over 30 years experience in IT. Scott has worked in various industries such as health care, insurance, manufacturing, broadcast, printing, and consulting and in enterprises ranging in size from $50M to $20B in revenue. Scott’s experience encompasses the following areas of specialization: Leadership, Strategy, Architecture, Business Partnership & Acumen, Process Management, Infrastructure and Security. With his broad understanding of technology and his ability to communicate successfully with both Executives and Technical Specialists, Scott has been consistently recognized as someone who not only can "Connect the Dots", but who can also create a workable solution. Scott is equally comfortable playing technical, project management/leadership and organizational leadership roles through experience gained throughout his career. Scott has previously acted in the role of CIO, CTO, and VP of IT, successfully built 9 data centers across the country, and is expert in understanding ITIL, PCI Compliance, SOX, HIPAA, FERPA, FRCP and COBIT.
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