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When Evaluating an IT Infrastructure Management System we think these are questions you should ask, both yourself and your supplier.
Ask the Vendor
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| 1. |
How many years has the vendor been selling the solution, is this a new entry or a well established solution? |
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| 2. |
Does the vendor really manufacture and sell the solution to encourage you to become locked into their other equipment or are they truly independent of influence? |
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| 3. |
What success has the vendor has across industries?
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| 4. |
If the vendor also sells hardware, have they sold to customers that do not use their hardware?
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| 5. |
Does the system provide scalability & flexibility; will it meet your needs in three years time?
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| 6. |
Is it easy to document/retrofit to existing installations?
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| 7. |
What kind of maintenance/skills/training does the system require?
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| 8. |
Does the vendor support the system in all countries your company operates in?
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| 9. |
How much does the system cost? What is the ROI(Return on Investment)?
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| 10. |
What future enhancement does the vendor plan for the product?
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| 11. |
What level of self-discovery does the system have? Can it automatically discover network changes? />
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Solution Implementation
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| 12. |
Does the solution come with a broad, multi-manufacturer set of equipment templates?
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| 13. |
Will the system let you configure the information elements you want to store or are you limited to a fixed or limited configuration set supplied by the vendor?
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| 14. |
Does the system support AutoCAD, Visio and picture format import of floor plans?
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15.
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Is there full support for XL, CSV format import and export of data?
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| 16. |
Is the system flexible enough to support your preferred process and work practices?
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17.
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Will the solution manage any type of IT equipment and in fact non IT equipment if required?
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18.
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Is the solution locked into managing one type of environment (e.g. the data center) or can it manage work-areas and campus environments as well?
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19.
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Does it manage every aspect of the IT environment including power and data connectivity, all equipment, locations, spaces, racks, desks, conduits, loads and capacities?
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20.
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Are all aspects of the system user configurable, or does it require the vendor to make the change?
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21.
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Does the solution support an inbuilt scripting language (at no extra cost) to allow you to extent the systems abilities yourself?
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22.
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Does the system support a user configurable MIB database and full read/write SNMP/WMI scripting (at no extra cost)?
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23.
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What level of self-discovery does the system have? Can it automatically discover network changes?
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Using the System
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24.
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Does the system have an intuitive GUI for normal users who will be using the system infrequently?
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25.
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Is the user interface easy to navigate? Is the information shown logically laid out and complete without being confusing? Does the system show the infrastructure in a clear logical way?
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| 26. |
Who within the organization will benefit from the installation? Does the system have features that will be useful to multiple departments, not just IT, including finance and facilities management?
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27.
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Will the system be able to assist with your organization green activities?
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28.
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Does the system have an open Web services XML API.
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29.
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Can the system store historical data both from SNMP/WMI and internal values.
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30.
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Does the system include (a no extra cost) a customer report builder?
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31.
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Can custom reports be scheduled and e-mailed directly users?
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Keeping the system up-to-date - Trust in data
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32.
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Does the solution support a portable handheld that allows complete add/update/read of all data stored in the system?
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33.
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Does the handheld need Wi-Fi or does it work off line so information can be accessed anywhere.
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34.
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Does the handheld optionally work with barcodes to make equipment identification as easy as a scan of a serial number?
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35.
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Does the handheld system support inventory management functions for areas such as store rooms?
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36.
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Does the handheld system support graphical rack and floor plan views?
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37.
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Does the handheld system have full audit capabilities so that audit assurance of data is possible?
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38.
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Does the system still require paper to be printed for change orders, etc or are they fully supported by the handheld?
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