VITARFI2017-14–VeritasResponse
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VeritasResponseto
COMMONWEALTHOFVIRGINIA
VIRGINIAINFORMATIONTECHNOLOGIESAGENCY(VITA)
SUPPLYCHAINMANAGEMENTDIVISION
SinglePointofContact(SPOC):
GregScearce,VITASupplyChainManagement(SCM)
(804)416-6166
10/21/16
VeritasTechnologies,LLCwww.veritas.com
GlobalHeadquarters
500EastMiddlefieldRoad
MountainView,CA94043
PublicSectorHeadquarters
2350CorporateParkDrive,Suite600
Herndon,VA20171
JeffPeyton
VAAccountExecutive
703.984.9796
DUNS:07-976-3288
CAGECode:7E6C0
NAICSCodes:511210,541330,423430,
518210,541513,541512,541519
GSASchedule:
GS-35F-4342D(HeldbyIngram’s)
GS-35F-0119Y(Carahsoft)
GS-35F-4543G(DLT)
Veritasisalargebusiness.
REQUESTFORINFORMATION(RFI)2017-14
FOR:
SERVER,DATACENTER,ANDSECURITYSERVICES
VITARFI2017-14–VeritasResponse
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TableofContents
1. RespondentInformation.................................................................................................3
2. Introduction....................................................................................................................4
3. Questions........................................................................................................................6
4. FeedbackRegardingRFIDocuments..............................................................................24
VITARFI2017-14–VeritasResponse
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1. RespondentInformation
ContactInformation
CompanyName VeritasTechnologies,LLC
CompanyMailingAddress
PublicSectorHeadquarters
2350CorporateParkDriveSuite400
Herndon,VA20171
CompanyWebsiteAddress www.veritas.com
NameofContactPerson JeffPeyton,VAAccountExecutive
ContactPersonE-mailAddress [email protected]
ContactPersonTelephone# 703.984.9796
VITARFI2017-14–VeritasResponse
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2. IntroductionCorporateOverview
VITA may know Veritas Information Management and Information Intelligence solutions from our
days as part of Symantec Corporation. Veritas has recently operationally separated from Symantec
and has been purchased by the Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. Now operating as Veritas
Technologies,LLC,webecameanindependentprivatelyheldcompanyasofJanuary292016.Moving
forward, the Veritas core focus is to continue delivering the following best of breed Information
ManagementandInformationGovernancesolutions(clickformoreinfo):
• NetBackup(NBU)
• BackupExec
• DisasterRecoveryOrchestrator
• VeritasResiliencyPlatform(VRP)
• InfoScale(formerlyStorageFoundation)
• EnterpriseVault(archiving)
• eDiscoveryPlatform(eDP)
• DataInsight
• InfoMap
Veritas solutions enable organizations to harness their information, bolstering business success in
even themost complex environments.We serve organizations of all sizes, including 86 percent of
globalFortune500companies.WeserveeveryfederalagencyintheUnitedStates.Infact,forovera
decade Gartner Magic Quadrant has recognized Veritas as a leader for both Enterprise Backup
Software&IntegratedAppliances,andEnterpriseInformationArchiving.
Wehelpourcustomers improve theirdataavailabilityandunlock insights fromtheirdata tomake
themmorecompetitive.Wehaveover7,800employeesin58countriesaroundtheworld,withour
global headquarters located inMountain View, California. Veritas hasmultiple support and design
centersthroughouttheUSandinternationally.Veritasalsohassolutionsimplementedthroughoutall
federalagencies.
Wepartnerwiththelargesttechnologyleaders,includingAmazon,Cisco,Fujitsu,Google,Hitachi,HP,
IBM,Microsoft,NetApp,OpenStack,Symantec,EMCandmanymore.
Foracompletelistofhardwarevendorsandtheircompatibility:
https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.000025228
Forhardwareandsoftwarecompatibilitylists:
https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.000033647
VITARFI2017-14–VeritasResponse
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VITASolutionOverview
As a long standing partner of VIRGINIA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AGENCY (VITA), and as the
industry leader in Backup and Recovery, Archiving and Information Availability, Veritas brings a
heritageofsupporttotheVITAenvironment.Weareveryappreciativeofourcurrentpartnershipto
be the foundation of your data protection, disaster recovery and archiving environment supporting
yourmission critical applications and data.Our dedicated personnel fromVeritas have a history of
guiding customers in capacity planning and considerations, feature and functionality, software
deployments,training,upgrades,patching,securityresolutionsaswellasbreakfix. Thisrelationship
allows us to stand uniquely qualified to facilitate VITA’s future considerations and pursues.Our
expertiserunsdeepinnotonlythedataprotection,butinknowledgeoftheworkingsofthecurrent
environment.
ValueVeritasProvidesforVITA:
• Anintegratedconvergedplatformthatcanscalewithoutcomplexity
• Enablementtoprotect,locate,andrecovermoreinformationinlesstimeacrossanycombinationof
platformsorstorageenvironments
• Leverageoftheexistingtool(s)acrossenvironmentstoensuresimplicityandconsistencyinprotection
• Strategicpartnerprovidingabroadspectrumtechnology(Backup&Recovery,Archiving,Info
Availability)
• RecognizedleaderforbothEnterpriseBackupSoftware&IntegratedAppliancesandInformation
Archiving
VeritasprovidesManagedServicesofferingsformanycustomerssupportingbothBackup&Recovery
and Archiving solutions.We have experience improving our clients’ backup and recovery
environmentsbyelevatingtheirdataprotectionmetrics tothehighest levelswhile focusingoncost.
Veritas does accentuate some of our customers on our website with testimonials, but due to our
confidentialityconsiderationsthatarepartofouragreements,wecannotdiscloseourclientswithout
previouswrittenauthorization;thesamecourtesyandconsiderationwewillextendtoVITA.
Our current response leads with our operational out tasking, allowing VITA or its affiliate to still
maintain control of the environmentwhile very quickly& efficiently offloadingmanagement of the
backup environment so you can focus on your core initiatives. As you start to transition your
operational environment towards a full “as a Service”model, Veritas can assist in that journey. A
transitionteamfromVeritas,composedofseniorengineers,wouldworkwithyoutoperformanalysis,
planningandexecutionleveragingbestpracticesfittoyourenvironment.Bywayofexamplewecould
saysomeobjectivesmightbe:Set thecorrect flowof information, focusingonoptimizingresources,
standardizingtheplatformforamoreefficientoperation,andassessthestateofthebackuptopology.
Manyof theseassets, theknowledgeand integrationwith theproduct support andengineeringare
uniqueonlytoVeritas.
Giventheabove,shouldVITAmoveforwardwiththis initiative,weurgeyoutoconsiderVeritasasa
valuable partner to whomever you pursue. Independently or with our valued partners, we can
maintain and protect the level of support, unique knowledge, and personnel that maintain and
maximizetheviabilityofVITA’smostcriticaldataprotectionandrecoveryenvironment.
VITARFI2017-14–VeritasResponse
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3. QuestionsRef# Category Question SupplierResponseServer/StorageServices
Q1. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthhasupwardsof10non-centralizedDataCenters
inAgency-operatedbuildings,primarilyinthemetroRichmondarea.
WhatareexamplesofSuppliers’bestpracticesinmanagingthe
Servers,Storage,Firewalls,andDataCenterLANsinnon-centralized
(Agency)facilities?
Norecommendations
Q2. Server/Storage WhatdoestheSupplierrecommendforthelengthofthecontractfor
Server,Storage,andDataCenterServices?Pleasedescribebenefits
andtrade-offs.
Norecommendations
Q3. DataCenter WhatdoyourecommendforthelengthofthecontractfortheData
CenterFacilityforthistypeofenvironment?
Norecommendations
Q4. Server/Storage WhatdoestheSupplierrecommendfortechnologyrefreshratefor
thedifferenttypesofDevicesinVITA’senvironment?Istherean
impactonthelengthoftheservicescontract?
A3yearsoftwaretechnologyrefreshwilltraditionally
affordcustomerstheabilitytoimplementtwomajor
releasesofthetechnologyandincorporateminor
releaseandpatchesasneeded.Asforhardware,we
havetraditionallyseenourstoragedeviceshavean
EndofSalesLifeafter3yearsandanEndofSupport
lifeafter5years.
Q5. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthisinterestedinaseparatehardwarechargein
theServerRUstoaccountfortheinitialcapitaloutlayforphysical
servers.Isthereabetterwaytorepresentthecostdifferencesand
hardwarerefreshcycleintheServerRUstructure?
Norecommendations
Q6. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthisproposingtieringofservicesforServerand
Storageinanattempttoaligncostswithavailabilityandperformance.
Basedonyourexperience,dothesetiersofservicehaveany
challengesindevelopingasolution?Doyouhaveexperiencewith
theseservicetieringmodel?Doyouhaveanyrecommendationsor
enhancementsfortheCommonwealthtoconsider?
Wehaveseenotherstateandlocalgovernment
agenciesdevelop3and4tierstoragemodelsto
potentiallyaligncostwithavailabilityand
performance.Hiddencoststhatthestateneedsto
ensurewhenthecostmodelisbasedonstorage
beingusedare:
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponse
• Optimizationofstorageateachtierto
reducestoragefootprintswithinatier
• Governanceofdataandseamlessmigration
ofdatabetweentiersasdatastoredonmore
costlystoragearelessfrequentlyaccesses.
• Reportingtothecommonwealthfornotonly
capacityusageinagivenmonthbutdeeper
analyticstomakeinformedretention
decisionsaboutdatathatisdriving
unnecessarystoragecosts
Adoptingasoftware-definedstoragesolution
affordingtheflexibilityofbothbestofbreed
storage,flash/SSD,andcommodity
infrastructurethatensuresalignmentwith
availabilityandperformance.
Q7. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthcurrentlyspreadscostsacrossaverysimpleRU
model.DoyouhaveanenhancedRUmodelthatcouldofferalarger
varietyofserviceswhileminimizingtheRUsandtheircomplexity?
Norecommendations
Q8. Server/Storage
TheCommonwealthisincludingBronzethruPlatinumservicelevels
forServerasexamplesofservicecategories.Whatwouldbe
requiredtoimplementthismodelintheCommonwealth?
Veritaswillreviewwiththecommonwealththe
networkinfrastructureandclientworkloadstoclearly
outlineachievableSLAtargets.Thosetargetscan
alignwithBronzethroughPlatinumServicelevels.
Q9. Server/Storage Doyouseeabetterwaytobundleorspilttheservicesweare
requesting,inordertomoreeffectivelyintegratewithothertowers
(includingMSI),andobtainmoreflexibilityintheCommonwealth’sIT
environmentwhilemaintainingappropriateGovernanceandsecurity?
Norecommendations
Q10. Server/Storage AretheirnewStorageofferings,likeObjectBasedStorageor
predictivestorage,thattheCommonwealthshouldincludeinstorage
orenhancedservices?Howdoyouofferandchargeforvirtual
Aconversationaboutcontemporarystoragesolutions
wouldbepointlesswithoutdiscussingtheadvances
incloud-basedalternatives.S3isperfectexampleof
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsestorage? howbothObjectandCloudcanprovidecustomers
withacosteffectiveandevenmoresoadaptable
storagesolutionforwhatamountsto(moreoften
thannot)alargeportionoftheirinformation.Thisof
courseisnotasilverbulletaspubliccloudisn’toften
consideredtheprimarytargetfortier1workloads
(emailnotwithstanding).Additionally,theabilityto
movedynamicallybetweencloudandon-premise
technologiesisessentialtoasuccessfulnext-gen
architecture.Whatthismeansisthatcustomers
shouldbelookingtoimplementastorage
managementplatformthatachievesthefollowing:
- IntelligentDataClassification(ApplicationAware)
- AdvancedTieringandMigrationCapabilitiessoas
tofutureproofinvestmentsbothinanoutofthe
cloud
- AdaptabletoLegacyandemergingworkloads
- AddressesCapacityandPerformance
independently
- HardwareAgnostic,supportingLocal,SAN,DAS
andCloudStorage(HybridStorageCloud)
- Fullyresilientwithready-madeDRcapabilities
- AddressesCopyDataManagement/Data
VirtualizationChallenges
- MinimalOperationaldisruption
Pleasenotethatmostindustryanalysts(IDC,Gartner)
areessentiallyinagreementacrosstheseconcepts
whenitcomestoaSoftwareDefinedStorage
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsestrategy.
Veritasisnotapointsolutioninthisspace,we
addressintotalitytheitemsdescribedabove.These
arethetenetstoaSoftwareDefinedStorage
architecturebuiltuponInfoScaleEnterprise&Veritas
Access.
Q11. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthisinterestedinensuringitprovidesoptimal
storageperformanceandavailabilityforVITAandVITA’sCustomers.
Howdoyouproposetoprovideandmeasurethisperformance?
TheVeritasNetBackup™5240Applianceisan
enterprisebackupappliancewithbuilt-in
redundancy,expandablestorageandintelligentend-
to-enddeduplicationforphysicalandvirtual
environments.OnlyVeritasappliancesdeduplicate
onboththeclientandtargetside.Equippedwith
Veritas™V-Raytechnology,itprovidesunique
visibilityintovirtualenvironmentsthatspeeds
recoveryandreducesstoragecosts.Content-aware
deduplicationreducesthesizeofbackupssoyoucan
storemoredatacosteffectivelyandreplicatefaster.
Producthighlightsinclude:
•Suitableorenvironmentstartingat4TBand
expandableupto458TBusablecapacity,NetBackup
appliancesareidealforbothremoteofficesand
enterprisedatacenters.
•Multiplefunctionaldeployasmasterserver,media
server,orbothforaNetBackupdomain.
•FitsintoexistingNetBackupenvironments
EasilyexpandorrefreshexistingBackup
environmentswithoutdisruptingoperations.
•UltimatevirtualmachineprotectionSupports
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseVMware®vSphere™andMicrosoftHyper-V®,no
proxyserversrequired.
•WideAreaNetwork(WAN)optimizationupto10x
fastertransferrateforbackupstocloudand
replicatingoff-site.
•NetBackupAcceleratordeliverstraditional,full
backupsatthespeedofincrementalbackups.
•Simpleandfastsnapshotreplication,accelerate
snapshotreplicationmanagementandgranularfile
levelrecoveryfromanyreplicatedsnapshotimage.
•Operationalsimplicitypowerupandwalkthrough
theinstallationwizardtostartbackingupinminutes.
•Improveresourceutilization,decreasebackup
storageupto50timesandbandwidthconsumption
upto99percent.
•Flexiblededuplicationoptionsdeduplicationat
sourceortarget;inlineorpost-process.
•Dynamicstorage,usablecapacitycanbeany
combinationofupto458TBdeduplicationor
AdvancedDiskpool(non-deduplicatedstorage).
•StorageAreaNetwork(SAN)clientsupport,high-
speedstreamingthroughFibreChanneltoNetBackup
5240.
•Built-inreplication,policybasedreplication
poweredbyVeritas™OpenStorage.
•AutoImageReplication(AIR),replicatebackup
imagestoaremoteNetBackupdomainforelectronic
vaultinganddisasterrecoveryreadiness.
•Heterogeneouscloudgateway,servesasagateway
unitforsendingbackupstosupportedcloudstorage
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsevendors.
•Securesin-flightandat-restbackupdata,
encryptionmaybeconfiguredforsourceandtarget
deduplication.
•Tapesupport,writetotapeforlong-termdata
retention.
InfoScalehelpsyourITteamsrealizeevermore
reliableoperationsandbetterprotectedinformation
andapplicationsacrossyourphysicalandvirtual
infrastructures.
Withenterprise-classresiliencyandsoftware-defined
storagefeaturesforcriticalservicesacrossyourdata
centerinfrastructure,InfoScaleensuresthatyourIT
operationsperformattheirhighestlevels.
Producthighlightsinclude:
• Asapplicationcomponentsincreasinglyget
distributedacrossmultiplephysicaland
virtualtiers,theirmanagementgets
increasinglycomplex.InfoScaleEnterprise
shieldsyoufromthiscomplexitywithVirtual
BusinessServices(VBS),asimpleconstruct
thatinternalizesthestart/stopsequencing
anddependencybetweendifferenttiersthat
comprisethemultitierapplications.
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseVBSisawareofthecompletebusiness
serviceandtakesactionintheeventofa
failure.Whenanindividualcomponentofthe
multitierapplicationfails,VirtualBusiness
Servicesnotonlyrecoversthefailed
application,itautomaticallyorchestratesthe
connectiontoothercomputingresources
neededtokeepthebusinessservice
available.Theresultisfasterrecoveryand
minimaldowntime—allwithnomanual
intervention.
• Normalclusteringreliesonresourcepollingto
determinethe
healthofyourapplicationresources.Thispolling
processincreasesprocessoroverheadbut,more
importantly,doesn’talwaysnoticefaults
immediately.
IntelligentMonitoringFrameworkinInfoScale
Enterpriseasynchronouslymonitorsselected
Resources,meaningfailurescanbedetected
instantaneously.TheCPUoverheadassociated
withtraditionalpoll-basedmonitoringisalso
greatlyreduced.
• Yourproductionenvironmentsareconstantly
changing.Havingaregularcadenceoftesting
yourdisasterrecoverystrategyiscriticalto
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseguaranteeasuccessfulrecoveryintheeventof
anoutage.
InfoScaleEnterpriseincludesFireDrill,atool
thatsimulatesdisasterrecoverytestsby
startingupanapplicationatthedisaster
recoverysiteasitwouldinanactualdisaster.
Becauseitisasimulation,FireDrilldoesnot
disruptproductionapplications,soitcanbe
runasoftenasnecessary,eliminatingthe
needforextensivemanualweekendtesting
• SmartIOandstorage-tieringtechnologies
fromVeritasnotonlyenhancestorage
performanceandQoSbutalsothecost-
effectivenessoftheoverallstorage
environment.
SmartIOisespeciallyusefulforlotsofsmall,
randomreadsandwrites,suchaswitha
transactionaldatabase.Bykeepinghotdata
insidetheserveronfastsolid-statedevices,
applicationreadsarefilledupto400percent
fasterthantheycanbeoveratraditional
StorageAreaNetwork(SAN),reducingcosts
bymorethan80percent.
Additionally,storagetieringallowsless
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsefrequentlyaccessedorlower-prioritydatato
bestoredonlower-grade,less-expensive
storage.
• InfoScaleEnterprisecanbemountedonupto64
clusternodessimultaneously,makingitanideal
solutionforapplicationscale-out.Itsload-
balancingarchitecturedistributesfileownership
acrossallnodesintheclusterfornear-linear
performancescalability.Theresult:reliableand
high-performancefiledataaccessacrossabroad
spectrumofenterpriseapplications,including
mediaapplicationsandunstructureddata.
Q12. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthhastraditionalx86virtualservers,butitisalso
interestedinthecapabilitiesofaprivatecloud.Couldtheybe
combinedorleftseparate?Pleasedescribehowthiscouldbe
accomplishedmosteffectively.
IntegrationwithcloudstorageprovidersNetBackup
integrateswithcloudstorageprovidersviathe
NetBackupConnector,allowingITdepartmentsto
managecloudstorageforbackupandrecoveryas
easilyason-premisestorage,butwithlowercosts
andimprovedflexibility.Organizationscanleverage
thecloudasanewstoragetierorasasecondaryoff-
sitelocationfordisasterrecovery.
Currently,enterprisecustomersarehesitanttomove
tothecloudbecausetheyfeeltheycannotgetthe
comprehensivelevelofdatasecurityprotectionthat
theygetintheirphysicalenvironments.Also,latency,
longbackupwindows,bandwidthcosts,andunmet
RTOobjectives,arebarrierstocloudadoptionfor
largeenterprisesandtheirmainrequirementsfocus
aroundasinglepointofcontrolandauniform
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsemethodformanagingtheprotectionofadiverse
rangeofapplications.Thediversityandcomplexityis
augmentedbythefactthat,now,someofthe
applicationsmayberunninginthecloud.A
NetBackupplatform-basedapproachenables
protectiontobeappliedacrossadiverserangeof
applicationsrunningeitheron-premiseorinthe
cloud.
NetBackupwillensurethatcloudstorage
environmentsareprotectedandapplicationsrunning
inthecloudcanberecoveredinthecaseofadisaster
orcorruption.WhentheNetBackupplatformis
extendedtoprotectacloudstorageenvironment,
customerscanfeelconfidentmovingtheir
applicationstothecloudastheycanrelyontheir
existingNetBackupinfrastructuretoprotecttheir
cloudstorageenvironment.
Q13. Server/Storage HowdoesDatabaseasaServicemakesenseforanEnterpriselikethe
Commonwealth?Doyouhaveanyrecommendationsforhowto
chargeforenhancedDatabaseservices(i.e.,DevelopmentDBA)?
*notpartofourofferings
Q14. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthwantstoprovidecosteffectivesolutionstoVITA
andtheAgencies.Whatdoyoudescribeasthekeycostandvalue
driversthatwouldhelptheCommonwealthofferservicesthatarenot
costprohibitivetodeliver?Doyouseeanyrequirementsinthe
descriptionofservicesinthisRFIthatwouldcostmoretomeetthan
thebusinessvaluetheyprovide?
Norecommendations
Q15. Security TheCommonwealthisinterestedinanEnterpriseKeyManagement
Systemforcomplianceandsecurity.Howdoyouproposethe
CommonwealthrequestKeyManagementservices?
Norecommendations
Q16. MSI IdentityandAccessManagement(IAM)servicesandthesystems *notpartofourofferings
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsesupportingthosefunctionsarecurrentlysplitbetweenmultiple
providers.Howdoyouproposebringingtheseservicestogetherto
provideasingleintegratedservice?
Q17. MSI TheCommonwealthhasdefinedthecross-functionalrequirementsin
Exhibit2.2.Doyouhaveanycommentsinthestructureandhandoffs
identifiedinthisdocument?Doyouhaveanypriorexperience
workingwithMSIs?Doyouhaveanyrecommendationsregardingthe
approachforhowtheMSIshouldinteractwiththeothersuppliers?
*notpartofourofferings
Q18. MSI DoyouseeanybenefitsorchallengesinrequiringtheDataCenter
facilityprovidertoalsoberesponsibleforprovidingcommon
operatingmonitoringgroupsinthesamesolution(e.g.,CMOC,ITOC,
SOC,NOC)?
*notpartofourofferings
Q19. MSI TheCommonwealthcurrentlyhasasingletraditionalDRsolutionthat
requirestheentirebackupDataCentertobefailedover.Thereisa
desiretomovetoamoreflexiblesolutionthatallowssingleAgencies
orevenapplicationstobefailedoverindividually.Thisprocess
requiresdesign,development,operations,testing,andcoordination.
WhatroleshouldVITA’sMSIshouldplayinthiseffortinrelationwith
theServerServicesprovider?
VITAshouldassistindefiningapplicationavailability
targetsthroughaformalizedbusinessimpact
analysis.Thiswilldescribeonaperservicebasisthe
interdependentapplicationsandassociateddatathat
mustbeavailableataDRfacilitywithinadesignated
periodoftimeandadesignatedamountoftolerable
dataloss.YourMSIcandefinetheservicelevel
agreementsrequiredonaperapplicationbasis.
Veritassolutionsorchestratethosedefinitionsona
perapplicationbasistoautomateDRfailoverwithin
therecoverpointandrecoverytimeobjectivesina
tieredcosteffectivemodelforaspecificserviceor
evenasgranularasanapplication.
Q20. DataCenter TheCommonwealthisinterestedinMulti-siteHighAvailabilityand
DisasterRecoveryServices.Atahigh-level,whatdoyourecommend
onthenumberandlocationsofcentralizedDataCentersthe
Commonwealthshouldutilizeforthatpurpose?Anytradeoffs?
Veritashighlyrecommendsmulti-sitehighavailability
anddisasterrecoveryservices.DependingonVITA’s
Networktopologyandapplication/dataSLAswill
determinethenumberoflocationsrecommendedto
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsemeetthebusinessrequirements.
Veritashasthesolutiontomeettheenterprise
demandofhighavailability,disasterrecoveryand
resiliency.
AlongwiththeInfoScalehighlevelfeaturesstatedin
Q11,VeritasalsooffersVeritasResiliencyPlatform.
Werecognizethatyourbusinessapplicationsare
spreadacrossthestate.Theyrunacross
connectedlayers,eachbuiltusingmulti-vendor
operatingsystems,physicalservers,
virtualizationtechnologies,andclustering
solutions.Somecomponentsmayevenrunin
thecloud.
ResiliencyPlatformprovidesaunifiedand
proactivesolutionformanagingbusiness
resiliencyandmeetingyourRecoveryTime
ObjectivesacrossyourITlandscape.
Yougetthechoiceofusingthein-builtdata
mover,orout-of-theboxsupportforleading
third-partydatamoverstoensureyourcritical
RecoveryPointObjectivesarealwaysmet.
VeritasResiliencyPlatformisbuiltonfour
businessresiliencypillars:predictability,
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseautomation,andcomplianceandflexibility.
• Predictability:Meetcriticalbusiness
ServiceLevelObjectivessuchasRecovery
TimeObjectivesandRecoveryPoint
Objectiveswithsingle-clickrecovery
operations
• Automation:Automaterecoveryrun
booksandstartandstoporchestration
formulti-tierapplications
• Compliance:Becomplianttobusiness
continuitymandateswithauditreports
andnon-disruptiverecoveryrehearsals
• Flexibility:Proactivelymoveapplications
acrosssitesortothecloud
Notonlyarethesefourpillarsstrategictoany
businesscontinuityplans,theabilitytoperform
recoveryrehearsalsrequiringzerodowntimeare
thebestassuranceofmaximumuptime.
VeritasResiliencyPlatformhelpsyoutestyour
businesscontinuitypreparednessbyallowing
disastersimulationssoyourbusinesscontinuity
preparednesscanbereliablytestedwithzero-
downtime.Nocomplicated,manualcleanupsare
requiredandauditreportscanbegeneratedto
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsekeepstakeholdersinformed.
Makeresource-intensiveweekenddrillsathing
ofthepastwithzero-downtimerecovery
rehearsalsfromResiliencyPlatform.
Q21. Migration Supplierswillberequiredtoprovideanimplantationplantospecify
howtheywilltakeoverresponsibilityfortheexistingenvironment.
TheCommonwealthisalsointerestedinrecommendationswith
regardtohowtheCommonwealthcouldmigrateortransformtonew
Serviceofferings.Whatdoyourecommendforthismigrationplan?
AtransitionteamfromVeritas,composedofsenior
engineers,wouldworkwiththeprimetoperform
analysis,planningandexecutionleveragingbest
practicestodesignamigrationplan.
Q22. Enhanced
Services
TheCommonwealthisinterestedinreceivingproposalstoinclude
newenhancedservices,(e.g.,Cloud,Analytics,ManagedFileTransfer)
Canyourecommendanyothersuchenhancedservicesthe
Commonwealthshouldalsoconsiderincludingatthemoment?How
wouldyourecommendtheseservicesbedelivered?
Norecommendations
Q23. Enhanced
Services
AsthetechnologylandscapechangesintheCommonwealth’s
environment,couldyoudescribeotherenhancedservicesthatVITA
andVITACustomersshouldconsiderinthefuture?
Norecommendations
Q24. Enhanced
Services
Whatwouldyouproposeasagoodbusinesscaseforvirtualizingthe
desktop(offeringVDI)?
*notpartofourofferings
Q25. DataCenter
LAN
Whatdoyourecommendasthebestdemarcationpointbetweenthe
DataCenterLANandtheNetworkorWAN?TheCommonwealth
wantstomakethecleanestscopeseparationforafutureWAN
NetworkRFP.
*notpartofourofferings
Q26. DataCenter
LAN
InthecurrentRFI,theCommonwealthhasbundledDataCenterLAN
services(e.g.,switching,routing,loadbalancingandfirewall)with
ServerandStorageservices.Doyoufindanychallenges,issues,or
concernswiththisapproachandwhy?Anyrecommendations?
*notpartofourofferings
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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseQ27. DataCenter
LAN
TheCommonwealthdidnotbundleDataCenterLANservices(e.g.,
switching,routing,loadbalancingandfirewall)withtheDataCenter
Facilityservices(e.g.,HVAC,power,raisedfloor).Doyoubelievethis
isthecorrectapproach?Doyouhaveanyrecommendations?
*notpartofourofferings
Q28. DataCenter
LAN
TheCommonwealthisconsideringdecouplingtheDataCenterFacility
servicesfromtheServer,Storage,andDataCenterLANservices.What
doyouthinkofthisapproach?Whatdoyouthinkaretheadvantages,
disadvantagesandtradeoffsofsplittingthefacilityservicesoutversus
couplingtheseserviceswithServer,Storage,DataCenterLAN?
*notpartofourofferings
Q29. DataCenter
LAN
SupplierisexpectedtoprovidecentralizedDataCenterLANservices.
ShouldLANsinnon-centralizedDataCentersbepartofthescopefor
DataCenterLANservicesorbidaspartofNetwork/WANinafuture
procurement?Whatwouldbethepros/consandtradeoffs?
*notpartofourofferings
Q30. DataCenter
LAN
IfthesolutionincludesnewDataCenters,whoshouldprovisionand
managethenetworkconnectionsbetweentheDataCenterlocations?
ShoulditbetheNetworkProvider,theDataCenterProviderorthe
Server,Storage,DataCenterLANProvider?
*notpartofourofferings
Q31. DataCenter HowdoestheSupplierproposetomigrateServer,Storage,Data
CenterLANservicesoutoftheCESCdatacenterbyJune2019or
earlier?DescribehowtheSupplierwouldseamlesslymigrateoutof
CESClike-for-like,transformtonewservices,oracombinationofthe
two?Whataretherecommendedapproaches?
Norecommendations
Q32. CloudServices
TheCommonwealthisinterestedinasolutionthatintegrates
traditionalhostingserviceswithnewprivate,community,andpublic
cloudofferings.Howdoyouproposeintegratingtheseservices?
Veritasrecognizestheneedforheterogeneityacross
theITlandscape.Withourproducts,weprovideyou
thechoiceandflexibilitytoutilizehostedsolutions,
public/privatecloud,on-premiseorahybridmodel.
Q33. CloudServices WhatwouldbethebestpracticewithregardtoSuppliersowningthe
cloudcontractsandpotentiallytransferringthatcontracttothe
Commonwealth?ShouldtheCommonwealthownthatcontract
outright?Arethereanyotheralternativestobeconsidered?
Norecommendations
VITARFI2017-14–VeritasResponse
21
Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseQ34. CloudServices WhentheCommonwealthbuyscloudservicesofferingshowdoyou
proposetoidentifywherethedataandservicesarelocated?
Norecommendations
Financial/ServerStorage
Q35. Pricing
Structure
TheCommonwealthisinterestedincreatingthebestpossiblepricing
structurefortheServices.Inlightofthatfact,Supplierisinvitedto
bothcommentonthestructuredescribedinExhibit4.1and4.2,and
toproposeanalternatepricingstructureiftheybelievethatitwill
betterservetheinterestsofbothparties.
TheCommonwealthwillcontemplateanyproposedpricingstructure
alongfivedimensions:
1. Predictable:Tothegreatestextentpossible,customers
shouldbeabletoforecastchargesaheadoftime;changes
inpricingthatoccurovertimeshouldnotbeasurprise.
2. Manageable:Thepricingshouldnotbesocomplexthatit
isneedlesslydifficulttoadminister.Ifquantitiesofwork
orequipmentintheenvironmentmustbemeasured,
thenthosequantitiesshouldbeaseasyandtransparent
aspossibletomeasure.
3. Fair:Theservicepricingmustbeareasonableproxyfora
servicesprovider’sunderlyingcostsandshould
adequatelyrecoverthosecosts.Additionally,tothe
extentpossible,thepartythatcausesanyincremental
costshouldbearthatcost.
4. Incentives:Allpricingstructureswillincentivizecertainbehaviorsanddiscourageothers.Thegoalsofthe
sourcingprogrammustbekeptinmindwhenconsidering
thebehaviorsthatmightbedrivenbyapricing
structure.Forexample,agoaltoencourageserver
consolidationmightincludereducedcostatacentralized
Veritasoffersseveraldifferentpossiblepricing
structuresandaddresspricingflexibilitytobest
supporttheCommonwealth’sinterests.
1. Predictability:VeritasManagedServicesoffer
predictablecosts.Ourcostisinclusiveofthe
servicesintheoffering.Forexample,reporting
isincludedintheservice.Arobustlibraryof
reportsareavailableandcustomrequests,
withinreason,areincludedatnoadditional
charge.Ifanothercustomerrequestsareport,
weprovidethesanitizedreportavailabletoall
customers.Ithasbeenourexperienceseveral
competitivevendorsmaychargeforadditional
reportsrequests.Ourpricinghasvolumebased
pricingtiers,providingpredictabilityforgrowth.
2. Manageable:Ourcostisinclusiveofservicesin
theofferingsoitisnotcomplextoadminister.
VeritasManagedServicehasonlyacouple
components:aone-timeactivationchargeper
domainandareoccurringchargebasedon
establishedvolumetiers.Therealtime&
transparentreporting,combinedwithplanning
servicesincludedintheofferingprovidevisibility
&manageabilityofthecostoftheenvironment.
3. Fair:Thereportingfeaturecanhelpprovide
granularity.
4. Incentives:AspartoftheManagedOffering,
VITARFI2017-14–VeritasResponse
22
Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsedatacenter.
5. Flexible:Asconsumptionmovesupanddown,the
chargesshouldalsoadjust.Technologyisanevolving
industry,andtheabilitytoturndownanoldserviceto
turnupanewserviceisoneofthebenefitsofanefficient
ITsourcingagreement.Suchadjustmentsmayinclude
minorvolumechangesmonthtomonth,significantscope
additions,reductions,orterminations,andabilityoflarge
serviceproviderstore-deployinvestments.
VeritasprovidesanAssessment,summaryof
currentstateandbestpractice
recommendationscustomizedtothe
Commonwealth’senvironmentduringthe
ServiceActivationPhase.Onanongoingbasis,
theofferingprovidessemiannualhealthchecks,
andrecommendations.
5. Flexible:Basedonthenegotiatedcontract,
Veritascanworkwithapartnertoaddress
consumptionpricingtobeabletoincorporate
itemslikevolumechanges,scopeadditionsand
otherflexiblepricingrequests.
Q36. Inventoryand
Volume
Collection
TheCommonwealthisinterestedinintroducingnewResourceUnits
thatdonotexistinthecurrentcontract;inordertofairlycompensate
Supplierforservicedelivered,andsupporttheothergoalsdescribed
inquestion36,Supplierisaskedtodescribetheirexperienceand
approachtocollectingandverifyingvolumesbothbeforeandafter
contractsigning,andtheapproachestheyusetoadjustingfinancials
intheeventthattheinitialcountisincorrect.Forexample,today
databasesupportisprovidedbytheSupplier,butisnotseparately
billable.TheCommonwealthseesanadvantagetoseparatingout
databasesupportandmakingitaseparatechargeableunit,how
wouldtheserviceprovidercollectandverifythevolumestosupport
thischargeableunit?
TheReportingwilladdresscollectingandverifying
environment.Thereportingcanbecustomizedto
meetbusinessneedsandrequirements,whichwill
enabledifferentchargebackoptions.Adjustmentsto
thepricingcanbenegotiatedinthecontract.
Q37. Asset
Ownership
TheCommonwealthconsumescertainservicestodaywhichare
underpinnedbyasetofassets(servers,firewalls,etc.).The
Commonwealth(ortheirdesignee)hastherighttoacquirethese
assets.TheCommonwealthhasadesiretoconsumeservices;rather
thanownassets,andenvisionsSupplieracquiringtheseassetsand
usingthemtoprovideservicesbacktothecommonwealth.Please
Veritasdirectlyandthroughourvaluedpartnerships
isworkingtoaddress‘asaService’andconsumption
modelstoconsumeservicesratherthanprocuring
hardware,software&servicesindependently.
Veritashasprocessinplacetoaddresslicense
reassignmentwhereappropriateandaspartofthe
VITARFI2017-14–VeritasResponse
23
Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsedescribeexperiencesacquiringassetsfromanincumbent,andalso
describeyourrecommendfinancialtreatmentoftheircostrecovery
fortheseassets.
contractcannegotiatecostrecoveryorconversionof
traditionalperpetuallicenses.
24
VITARFI2017-14–VeritasResponse
4. FeedbackRegardingRFIDocumentsPleaseusethetablebelowtoprovidecommentaryregardingspecificdocumentsincludedwithinthisRFI,addingrowsasnecessary.Ref# Document/Section SupplierCommentaryC1.
Veritashasnoneatthistime.
C2. C3. C4. C5. C6. C7. C8. C9. C10.