What Constitutes Vendor Excellence?
As editor of IT Storage Online, an online publication that also functions as a sourcing site, I pay close attention to vendors' product offerings. When end users and integrators come to our site, they're often in search of what's available in terms of product features and functionality. The truth is, lots of storage suppliers can talk the talk, as well as walk the walk, when it comes to releasing impressive products. If that weren't the case, there would be 1) a dearth of storage startups, 2) insignificant levels of market competition, and 3) few vendors interested in acquiring other vendors' technologies.
The abundance of competitive products explains why, for me, product functionality alone doesn't determine vendor excellence. In my view, it's more of a starting point for excellence — the fundamental building block vendors must demonstrate if they hope to attract potential buyers. But, outstanding vendors don't just sell products; they help to market an industry. Put simply, they educate. In laying the groundwork for their own sales, they also lay the groundwork for widespread adoption of emerging and evolving technologies. Along the way, they acknowledge that some of the organizations benefiting from resources they provide may never become customers. In fact, they relish interaction with even the most hesitant tire kickers, seeing them as a litmus test for how well the message is being received.
Here at IT Storage Online, we like to draw particular attention to vendors that demonstrate excellence of the kind described above. Our Industry ACE awards honor storage companies that live up to an expansive definition of vendor excellence, one that includes education and outreach. Granted, like any other supplier, these vendors do promote their own products and, of course, seek to gain and/or maintain a competitive edge. However, Industry ACE vendors leverage their role as product development leaders to foster greater awareness and increased adoption of storage technologies in general. They publish white papers and best practices guidelines; they are committed to product interoperability; they serve on standards boards and are active in user-oriented associations; they lead technology seminars at road shows and conferences; they provide on-site integration support for multivendor environments; and so on.
At the awards banquet at the recent Storage World Conference (SWC) in Long Beach, CA, we recognized the 10 finalists and announced the 3 recipients of our Industry ACE awards for 2004. This year's finalists regularly put great products and great resources into the hands of end users and integrators. That's especially true of the winning vendors: IBM, Quantum Corp., and StorageTek. As editor of a site designed to educate and inform, I appreciate the efforts of this year's group of finalists (not to mention the notable efforts of other nominees). Providing a wealth of resources, these vendors help end users and integrators gain the knowledge they need to confidently select and deploy storage technologies.
Read more about the Industry ACE Awards.
By Tom von Gunden, chief editor, Doc Management Online, Content Mgt Online, and IT Storage Online