5 Mistakes Businesses Make When Buying Storage

Ever wonder about the most common mistakes business people make when they buy storage? We did, so we asked our resellers for answers. Here is what they said:

Top Mistake # 5

Buying Systems They Quickly Outgrow. This problem has two sources. First, buyers often fail to accurately assess how much storage they really need or how quickly their storage needs will grow. This is excusable. However the real problem is that people buy systems that cannot scale as their storage needs grow. This forces businesses to buy an additional storage system to add to their existing system or worse forces them to scrap their system entirely and start over. Eliminate this mistake by purchasing a system that is easy to scale for example a system that lets you daisy chain add-on storage modules to your controller unit so you can add disk space without breaking the bank.

Top Mistake #4

Buying Systems That Can't Adapt to Changing Business Conditions. Say your company grows and install a new higher speed network. Will your storage system be able to take advantage of next generation network speeds? Say you triple the size of your customer service department and need faster access to customer records in your ERP system. Can you replace your SATA drives with SAS drives to increase performance? You can do these things if you buy a storage system that has built in flexibility. Don't paint your self into a corner with a rigid system that can't change with your business.

Top Mistake #3

Failing to Buy an On-Site Service Contract. If network storage is really the heart of your company, then waiting until you have a storage failure to buy a service contract is like having by-pass surgery after you have a heart attack. On-site service providers are less likely to jump through hoops for you if wait until you have an emergency to buy a support contract which can make a bad situation worse.

Top Mistake # 2

Purchasing Systems that are Difficult To Install and Maintain. Most small and medium sized businesses don't have the IT staff to support and install overly complicated storage systems with gobs of features that will never be used. Look for systems that are easy to set-up, easy to use and easy to maintain. Most small/medium sized business should be able to install and configure a standard storage area network in under 1 hour - many in a half-hour. If it's more complex than this - chances are you are buying something too complex for your business.

Top Mistake #1

Paying too Much for Your Storage System. New network storage systems are hitting the market that have been designed especially for small to mid sized businesses. This means that you don't have to settle for discounted equipment that didn't cut it in the Enterprise market or last year's model no one else wants to purchase. Buy smart and get more bang for your buck with a state of the art system tailored to meet the needs of small to medium sized businesses.