Thanks for clarifying Dicks position re the service engagement offering…. there was me thinking he was spreading a bit of fear, uncertainty and doubt.  I shall remember to read between the lines next time.

On this point – I’ve seen so many places where even basic LUN allocation is done without thinking things through properly, causing all kinds of problems including performance and capacity management.  Sure there are plenty of us who, if left to ourselves, could do a good job of it, but sadly this cannot be said of everyone.  There are quite a few places out there where the Unix or the Windows guys run the storage and they generally need all the guidance they can get.  With that in mind, and the fact that most people usually want guidance with new features, I personally don’t think the service offering is overkill.  I would want at least some form of workshop from HDS before implementing it.

Finally, I see your point re not offering this on the USP yet where more benefits could possibly be reaped.  However, Im personally a fan of testing new technologies and gadgets out in your lower end kit before throwing it in to the real stuff (I was a little surprised to see thin provisioning on the USP-V and not the AMS).

Dick on the other hand felt the need to spread pure unadulterated FUD by spouting off his opinion that because this is being offered as a service “….it has to make you wonder about some of the gotchas that tend not to be covered in a press release”.  Does the same apply to all service offerings including those offered by EMC?????  One has to wonder!

I think Dicks blog could be of value in keeping up with the green push.  But lets not be Mr E.M.C Predictable and use it to try and shout down the competition and make dubious statements about your won employers wares.

I see there is still a deathly silence over some of the technologies Dick claimed as being unique and differentiating.  May I suggest that Dick follows what BarryB and MarkT have been doing and strike through the inaccurate statements in his post.

We need a Halloween theme.

Dick/BarryB, It would be interesting to see some of the numbers that Dick currently shares with customers and prospects.  But I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for an apology from me – you might find that you die waiting.  I think you know Im not anti-EMC or anti-anybody, I just love storage and like you don’t like to see misleading statements in blogs….

I assume from the lack of defence over comments such as “EMC’s unique Virtual LUN technology” and “So you don’t need to have any unused capacity spinning when you place the system on the floor…….”  As well as the fact that the technologies Dick refers to as being differentiators between EMC and the rest are actually not differentiators.  Oh and being green was almost certainly not a “design point” of any of them.