Assertion Let’s face it, the “1” and “0” that reside on disk (spinning or solid sate), have no intrinsic financial value – they are simply binary data bits stored by magnetizing the thin film of ferromagnetic material on disk. It’s only when the “1” and “0” are combined to form information upon which a business decision can be made that those binary bits, in the aggregate, have financial value to the business. But remember, that value is limited by the consumer’s ability to derive enough intellectual meat to support their position or decision. This post has nothing to do withRead more →
Here’s My Gripe… There has been a greater push to drive analytics and monitoring tools up-stack and VMware’s vCenter Operations Manager is one example of that. In a previous post, I commented on the “coopetition” between NetApp’s OnCommand Insight product suite and VMware’s vCenter Operations Manager. There are no doubt a number of other similar comparisons that could be made here (EMC SMARTS, vFoglight, CA Virtual Assurance, VirtualWisdom, etc.), but I would caution the data center staff that too much reliance on this information can cause more harm than good. How so — consider the erosion of critical thinking skills,Read more →
Introduction One of the more common questions I’ve been running into lately during customer meetings, especially when I talk about NetApp’s OnCommand Balance, is how does or how doesn’t Balance compete with VMware’s “new” vCenter Operations Manager product? So… Sure they compete, and then again, they’re complimentary. The next two “What is” sections are general overviews, and you’ll notice that both Balance and vCOPS have a number of features that overlap each other. I’m providing you with an overview to establish the confusion that drove this post, but I assure you that if you jump to the end (or clickRead more →
Introduction The guy on the left there is named “Tom” and is my graphical representation of someone who occupies the role: Technical Marketing Engineer (TME). As you give Tom the once over, you likely first notice the scar on his forehead — that my friends is a lobotomy scar. You’d certainly have to be down-right crazy for taking on the role of a TME. You’ll also likely notice that Tom has (2) knobs on his head as well – one is titled “Marketer” and the other “Engineer” and range from 0-100 percent. I’ll discuss that in a bit more detailRead more →
As a follow on to my good friend Vaughn’s post NetApp Expands our Virtualization & Cloud Computing Expertise I’d offer a hearty thank you for your kind words and absolutely couldn’t agree more with your comments. We have been making strong hiring decisions and aligning our virtualization expertise to match more closely with market trends and the skills of the team’s skills. This purposeful alignment is already starting to shape the virtualization strategy at NetApp and the collaboration between the team members is something I have not personally witnessed in a very long time. I respect and admire what HarryRead more →
