IDG and Fujitsu survey shows that many storage customers are 
unhappy with level of service from suppliers
Many UK businesses are frustrated with ‘substandard’ service from storage vendors, yet remain reluctant to change, according to the findings of a new survey.
The research, carried out by IDG on behalf of Fujitsu, showed many customers are unhappy with the service provided by their current supplier on a number of levels. For instance, half of the IT professionals polled do not believe their provider has a clear vision and strategy for the products they are promoting, while only one in five gave their supplier the highest mark for technical support.
In addition, half of respondents said they were unhappy with the cost-effectiveness of their infrastructure, with only 14 percent stating it was ‘highly’ cost-effective. Furthermore, customers claimed that their current provider ‘over-hyped’ products that were unsuitable for their business needs, with 25 percent rating their supplier as ‘poor’ when it came to transparency.
The survey was conducted as part of the ‘Data driven business in the real world’ event featuring a number of industry speakers including Hotels.com CTO, Thierry Bedos, and University Campus Suffolk director of information technology, Peter O’Rourke. The event, hosted by ComputerworldUK and Fujitsu, will be held on 31st March at Montcalm Hotel in London’s Marble Arch.
The report adds that, despite the mounting frustration with service from suppliers, customers are nevertheless reluctant to switch vendors. Many find the process of procuring new services daunting, with a lack of trust in advice from pre-sales agents.
Consequently, only 20 percent are looking for alternatives.
The report states: “It is therefore clear that companies are motivated to do something about poor storage. But at the same time, making the transition is not easy: infrastructure budgets are flat and the technology landscape is transforming fundamentally.
“As a result, many firms are unhappy with their storage providers, but are not changing due to the perceived hassle and risk.”
