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How to choose when you are buying a storage

After more than 15 yrs supporting storage systems and open systems; when a customer asks me about which storage vendor he should consider; I reply: - All the storage systems consists of

1. Front end controller that handles all IOs between servers and cache of storage system.
2. cache
3. Back End controller that handles all IOs between Cache and Disk drives.
4. Main board(s) that contains the cache and Operating System that controls and operate the above 3 components.

In my opinion; most (if not all) storage vendors build their storage systems on the above concept.

moreover, those vendors use other 3rd parties controllers for Front End and back end controllers. They also use same 3rd parties for main board(s) processor and physical memory. Also the use same 3rd party disk drives!

The main thing that storage vendors develop themselves is the "Operating System"

So my advise to the customer if he agree with me on the above is: Avoid considering the marketing propaganda of each storage vendor. If all of storage vendors are using same physical components; then please look at which vendor has the most stable operating systems all over the years along with their products. Those who put their investments in building strong, reliable , agile , powerful and cost effective one. Avoid those who keep changing the product line and OS after few yrs then you find yourself forced to replace your entire storage because it become EOL.

Many people will tell me I'm too simplifying things, well, i hate to see customers forced to change their storage after few years because the storage vendor are telling them the storage will be obsolete.

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