White Papers

©2009 IDC #215296 7
FIGURE 2
Buying Criteria for Secondary Storage
Q. What are the most important criteria for your organization when considering purchasing a
data protection solution?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Seamless integration into an existing
environment
Ease of use
Product functionality
Product pricing
Technical support options
Vendor brand
(% of Respondents)
Source: IDC's U.S. SMB Survey on Data Protection, 2008
CHALLENGES/OPPORTUNITIES
Dell's biggest challenge will be educating its current and potential customers that its
IDM offerings will bring measurable cost reductions in their IT infrastructure and
operations. Also, Dell needs to provide proof points that demonstrate its commitment
to integrated solutions that will help customers retain, discover, and recover their
valuable digital assets. IDC believes that Dell must reposition its messaging to
incorporate its IDM solutions and be thought of as a solution provider rather than a
commodity-driven storage and system vendor. We believe Dell's strong brand
recognition and well-developed channel will enable it to sell its IDM solutions beyond
its current set of customers.