Vendor Landscape: Cloud Backup

Vendor Landscape: Cloud Backup

The Cloud Backup Vendor Landscape is full of startups that are innovating

and iterating. However, best-in-class solutions do exist.

Introduction



IT leaders and storage managers tasked with

selecting an offsite, or cloud-based, backup

solution.



Any organization looking to reduce capital

expenditure and administrative burden on

backup storage, enhance disaster recovery

capabilities, or simply looking to learn more

about cloud backup vendors.



Define what distinguishes enterprise-class

cloud backup from consumer-grade solutions.



Make sense of how cloud backup vendors

differentiate themselves from competitors.



Shortlist cloud backup vendors based on

which best align with your business

requirements.

Executive Summary

•

The enterprise cloud backup market is still very nascent, with the oldest participating player being

founded in 2005, and

most

being founded after

2008

. There are several basic features that define an

enterprise-class cloud backup solution though, and the future for the cloud backup space looks bright.

•

Among the products evaluated,

CTERA

,

TwinStrata,

and

Nasuni

took top honors and were named

Champions. The solutions evaluated provide terrific value for what‟s offered, with appropriate solutions

available for small, medium, and large businesses alike between the three vendors.

•

However, there are scenarios where solutions from other vendors are more appropriate, so defining

business requirements, and aligning that with the use cases presented is still an important step in the

nascent, but burgeoning, market.

Defining enterprise cloud backup: less reliance on the

Internet, which improves the end user experience

•

In a recent survey, conducted by Info-Tech Research Group, respondents indicated they had almost two times more

“Complete confidence” in backup solutions that replicatedto the cloud vs. those that backup directly to the cloud. The same respondents expressed more overall confidence in cloud replication solutions than disk-to-disk arrays.

Though cloud backup vendors Info-Tech spoke to mentioned competing

against Mozy Pro and iDrive, these are not business-ready options.

• An enterprise-class cloud backup solution must include an on-premise cache of recently and frequently accessed files to mitigate any issues due to inconsistent Internet connectivity.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Cloud Direct Tape Library D2D VTL Cloud Replication

D2D Array

Market Overview

• Evolved from traditional online backup - where you paid for an allotment of storage capacity and backed up servers directly to the Web to on-site appliances that compress, deduplicate, and cache data before replicating to the cloud.

• Enterprise cloud backup solutions are defined by the ability to keep an on-site cache of frequently and recently accessed data, while completing incremental backups or snapshots to the cloud. • Currently a wide open space where few vendors

have more than a few dozen clients, but those clients generate sizeable revenue.

• Commoditization of core cloud backup features is causing new service providers to differentiate themselves by specializing in niche markets.

• You‟ll be able toaccessfiles from anywhere, on any device, making enterprise-class cloud backup as easy to use as consumer-grade services.

• A simplificationof backup architectures as cloud storage, both internal and external, matures. The use of tape for archiving will continue to decline as

enterprises re-assess and refresh their backup strategies.

• Cross-cloud mirroring will become an industry standard feature within the next two years, lending additional reliability and redundancy.

How it got here

Where it’s going

Overall, disk-to-disk backup is the most popular backup target, with 62% of survey respondentssaying they had recently implemented new backup capacity. However, the number of businesses deploying cloud backup was 15%; equal to the number of companies deploying tape.

Cloud Backup Criteria & Weighting Factors

Vendor Evaluation

Vendor is committed to the space and has a future product and portfolio roadmap.

Strategy

Vendor offers global coverage and is able to sell and provide post-sales support.

Reach

Vendor is profitable, knowledgeable, and will be around for the long-term.

Viability

Vendor channel strategy is appropriate and the channels themselves are strong.

Channel

Product Evaluation

The solution‟s dashboard and reporting tools are intuitive and easy to use.

Usability

The delivery method of the solution aligns with what is expected within the space.

Architecture

The five year TCO of the solution is economical.

Affordability

The solution provides basic

and advanced feature/functionality.

The Info-Tech Cloud Backup Vendor Landscape

™

Championsreceive high scores for most evaluation criteria and offer excellent value. They have a strong market presence and are usually the trend setters for the industry.

Emerging Players are newer vendors who are starting to gain a foothold in the

marketplace. They balance product and vendor attributes, though score lower relative to market Champions.

Innovatorshave demonstrated innovative product strengths that act as their

competitive advantage in appealing to niche segments of the market.

Market Pillars are established players with very strong vendor credentials, but with more average product scores.

For a complete description of Info-Tech’s Vendor Landscape™methodology, see the Appendix.

CoreVault CTERA Nasuni Panzura StorSimple TwinStrata Zmanda

Every vendor has its strengths & weaknesses;

pick the cloud backup vendor that best suits your needs

Product

Vendor

Features Usability Price Viability Strategy Channel

TwinStrata Nasuni CTERA Panzura StorSimple Zmanda CoreVault Reach Platform Overall Overall

What is a Value Score?

CTERA, Nasuni, and TwinStrata offer the best value

CoreVault

16

Panzura

45

StorSimple

70

Zmanda

83

Nasuni

93

TwinStrata

95

CTERA

100

Average Score: 71.6

The Value Score indexes each vendor‟s product offering and business strength relative to their price point.Itdoes notindicate vendor ranking. Vendors that score high offer more bang for the buck(e.g. features, usability, stability, etc.) than the average vendor, while the inverse is true for those that score lower.

Price-conscious enterprises may wish to give the Value Score more consideration than those who are more focused on specific vendor/product attributes.

The cost estimates were generated using a real-life scenario provided to Info-Tech Research Group by a client. For more information, see slide 30.

On a relative basis, CTERA maintained the highest Info-Tech Value Score of the vendor group. Vendors were indexed against CTERA‟s performance to provide a complete, relative view of their product offerings.

Sources:

1. To calculate the Value Score for each vendor, the affordability raw score was backed out, the product scoring reweighted, and the affordability score multiplied by the product of the Vendor and Product scores.

Every vendor in Cloud Backup meets the Basic Features, but

who goes above and beyond in the areas that matter to you?

If Basic Features are all you need from your Cloud Backup solution, the only true differentiator for the organization is price. Otherwise, dig deeper to find the best price to value for your needs like cloud server mountable volumes, Web-based file sharing,

The products assessed in this Vendor LandscapeTM_{meet, at the very least, the}

requirements outlined as Basic Features. All of the vendors go above and beyond the outlined Basic Features, most even do so in multiple categories. This section aims to highlight the products‟ capabilities in excess of the criteria listed here.

The Basic Features

What Does This Mean?

Backup frequency can be scheduled along with a set start and end time.

Scheduled Synchronization

The data center storing your data has successfully passed a SAS 70 Type II audit.

SAS 70 Type II Certification

Non-proprietary access methods like REST APIs, WebDAV, and FTP must be available.

Standard Access Methods

The service stores (and can automatically delete) previous versions of files.

File Versioning

Only changed files or blocks are transmitted after the first backup.

Incremental Backups

Data is encrypted while being transmitted to, and at rest in, the data center.

256-Bit Encryption

Local Cache Storing frequently and recently accessed files

Basic Features aside, vendors were evaluated on their

individual advanced feature offering

What We Looked For

Features

Info-Tech scored each vendor‟s features offering a summation of their individual scores across the listed advanced features. Vendors were given one point for each feature the product inherently provided. Some categories were scored on a more granular scale with vendors receiving half points (see Partial functionality criteria).

Advanced features scoring methodology:

Bare Metal Restore Restoring servers without an underlying OS and applications installed.

File Sharing Web-based file sharing via a hyperlink. Deduplication Recognizing duplicated files and storing just

one copy.

Data Compression Compressing the data before backup to reduce bandwidth utilization.

Restore From Anywhere

Ability to initiate restores from remote locations via a graphical user interface. Access From

Anywhere

Ability to access files from remote locations via a graphical user interface.

Native File System Backing up and storing files in their native file system, without proprietary protocols.

Cross-Cloud Mirroring Mirroring across geographically disparate data centers or multiple cloud storage providers.

Agentless Architecture

Backing up devices without software agents on each device.

Service Level

Agreement A contract with service availability guarantees. Bandwidth Throttling Controlling upload and download speeds to

manage bandwidth usage. Cloud Server

Mountable Volumes

Cloud storage volumes can be mounted by cloud servers for quick DR capability.

Info-Tech Recommends:

Mid-sized and large businesses that need to replace their NAS/SAN, especially those with highly

virtualized environments, should consider TwinStrata.

Product: Employees: Headquarters: Website: Founded: Presence: CloudArray 25 Natick, MA twinstrata.com 2007

Estimated Run Rate: $1M

TwinStrata

Champion

• TwinStrata has completed three rounds of funding, most recently completing a debt round in February 2011. • Venture capitalist sits on the board of directors, lending

credence to the startup.

Overview

• Cloud storage volumes can be attached to cloud server instances for additional disaster recovery capabilities.

• Physical and virtual appliances supported; virtual appliances run on ESXi, XenServer, Hyper-V, and Amazon EC2.

• Can back up to public and private storage clouds.

• Can be provisioned as a storage tier for internal applications.

Strengths

• Additional fee for 24x7 support.

• Not capable of cross-cloud mirroring, bare metal restore, or file sharing.

Challenges

TwinStrata has produced a compelling alternative to

traditional storage that can replace your NAS or SAN

•

TwinStrata offers a virtual appliance, or one of four individual physical appliances for provisioning a local cache. The virtual appliance uses storage allotted to it from a NAS or SAN, and the physical appliances support unlimited storage, with an artificial maximum of 50PB.

•

TwinStrata supports backing up to both public and private cloud storage, with support for sevendifferent cloud storage providers. The appliances are capable of block-level, file-level, and application-specific storage methods.

TwinStrata is attempting to provide a flexible solution that helps move the

mid-market off traditional storage, and doing it well.

•

TwinStrata‟s products can be controlled through a Web-based interface, API, or command level interface. Local andcloud storage volumes are provisioned from the same applications, making the appliance easier to administer.

•

TwinStrata does not perform all of the billing, leaving customers to deal with separate invoices from each of the cloud storage providers used.

Mid-size and large enterprises that have outgrown their existing NAS or SAN, or have recently re-assessed

their backup architecture and settled on cloud backup. Also organizations that wish to store their data

outside of the United States, thanks to support for PEER 1‟s cloud storage service.

Info-Tech Recommends:

With a reasonable price point, consumer-type sharing features and trusted cloud providers, CTERA is

easy to recommend for small and mid-sized businesses, and branch offices.

Product: Employees: Headquarters: Website: Founded: Presence:

Cloud Gateway and Portal 20

Petach Tikva, Israel ctera.com

2008

10 Distributors

CTERA

• CTERA was founded by Liran Eshel and Zohar Kaufman, who previously started SofaWare Technologies.

• It has completed Series A and Series B funding rounds, both funded Benchmark Capital.

Overview

• Built-in deduplication, compression, and bandwidth optimization.

• Portal can backup to your own private cloud or public clouds. • Files can be accessed remotely, in native file format, and

restored to different machines in case of disaster. • Files can be shared with others via a hyperlink.

Strengths

• A C200 or C400 Cloud Gateway is required; there is no virtual appliance available.

• Cannot currently operate at the hypervisor level.

• Lack of direct sales can deter small and mid-sized businesses, pushing them to competitors.

Challenges

Champion

CTERA’s solution is the most comprehensive in the

marketplace, and worth a look from any SME

•

CTERA offers multiple pieces of hardware for setting up a local cache: CloudPlug, C200 and C400. The C200 and C400 are self-contained devices, and the C400 supports up to 12TB of raw storage capacity.

•

CTERA Portal provides administration and configuration of the local

appliance, and snapshots to cloud storage providers. The Web-based interface is easy to use, providing insight into storage capacity use by individual devices.

CTERA is leading on advanced cloud backup features and has laid out a

strong roadmap ahead.

•

CTERA does not have its own data centers, instead backing up your data to the cloud storage provider of your choice.

•

You receive one bill from the backup service provider, not from each cloud storage provider in use.

Small and mid-sized businesses that have outgrown their existing NAS or SAN, have recently re-assessed

their backup architecture, and settled on cloud backup, or do not currently own a NAS/SAN.

Ideal Profile:

CTERA C200 or

C400 Appliance

Info-Tech Recommends:

Nasuni positions itself as a replacement for file servers, and should only be used this way. A strong

focus on unstructured data, native file formats, and low pricing makes it very suitable for this role.

Product: Employees: Headquarters: Website: Founded: Presence: Filer < 50 Natick, MA nasuni.com 2009

42 Customers Listed on Website Raised $23M in VC Funding

Nasuni

Champion

• Nasuni‟s founders have their history as CTOs and with traditional storage vendors.

• Nasuni has raised $23M in funding from venture capital firms like Flybridge, North Bridge, and Sigma Partners.

Overview

• Variety of top-tier cloud providers to choose from. • Full Active Directory integration.

• Built-in WAN optimization to compress before transport. • Automatic software upgrades without IT intervention. • One of the least expensive solutions.

Strengths

• Performance in large enterprise environments is less than stellar.

• Can initiate a restore from anywhere in the world, but cannot access files via the Web interface remotely.

• Virtual appliance can only scale up to 2TB on VMware. • Not suitable for backing up virtual machines or databases.

Challenges

Nasuni has clear focus of where its solution fits in the cloud

backup market, and makes no bones about it

•

Nasuni provides a virtual appliance pre-configured to provide 128GB of on-premise cache, and can be scaled to provide up to 2TB on VMware and 16TB on Xen. If the cache is full, the Filer begins removing files from the cache. These files are moved to your cloud storage provider until they‟re accessed again.

•

Nasuni currently supports six different public cloud storage providers. The Filer encrypts all files while on-premise, in-transport, and after hitting the cloud.

If you’re looking to expand or replace file servers, Nasuni is worth a look

even at a departmental level.

•

Nasuni‟s interface is available through a Web browser, where local and cloud storage volumes are provisioned. The interface has been given a design that‟s easy to use, with an emphasis on quick, at-a-glance statistics through a colorful dashboard.

•

Nasuni performs all the billing, so you have only one invoice to pay.

Businesses that are

not

interested in using cloud backup for snapshots of virtual machines, or block-level

storage. Nasuni Filer is ideal for small and mid-sized businesses replacing their NAS, or purchasing a NAS,

for storing

unstructured data only

, and providing access to those files from remote locations.

Ideal Profile:

Info-Tech Recommends:

StorSimple is mostly targeted at mid-sized and large enterprises, and any company with large content

(i.e. CAD drawings). It‟s well suited to the task and hits most of the advanced features desired.

Product: Employees: Headquarters: Website: Founded: Presence:

Hybrid Cloud Storage 45 Santa Clara, CA storsimple.com 2009 $21M VC Funding

StorSimple

Innovator

• StorSimple has raised funding from notable venture capitalist firms like Redpoint Ventures and Index Ventures.

• StorSimple‟s founders, Ursheet Parikh and Guru Pangal, come from backgrounds in WAN optimization and storage.

Overview

• Can use multiple cloud storage providers concurrently, and synchronize volumes across storage clouds.

• Automatic tiering across solid state disks, server attached storage, and cloud storage.

• Certified for Windows Server 2008 R2 and VMware Ready. • Volumes optimized based on type of data stored.

Strengths

• One of the more expensive solutions available.

• Bare metal restore only available for VMware images, file sharing, restore anywhere and access anywhere.

Challenges

StorSimple is currently the only vendor that supports

cross-cloud mirroring, setting the trend

•

StorSimple provides a choice of several physical appliances, with capacities ranging from 10TB to 200TB. Recently and frequently accessed files are cached on-premise, on one of two storage tiers. Older and infrequently accessed files are “archived” to cloud storage.

•

StorSimple currently supports four different public cloud storage

providers, as well as private cloud storage. All data is encrypted while on-premise, in-transport, and after hitting the cloud. Customers have full control over the private key.

Cross-cloud mirroring will become an industry standard, but StorSimple has

more enterprise-level features in store.

•

Administration of StorSimple‟s appliances can be performed via a web-based interface or through storage management consoles on a

desktop OS.

•

StorSimple does not perform all of the billing, leaving customers to handle invoices with each cloud storage service used.

Mid-sized and large organizations with Windows and VMware environments, feel more comfortable

synchronizing backups across multiple cloud storage providers, and aren‟t concerned about providing

access from remote locations (outside of an office or VPN).

Ideal Profile:

StorSimple 1010, 5010 or 7010 Appliance

Info-Tech Recommends:

Small and mid-sized businesses with heterogeneous environments, and content with using Amazon

as the cloud storage provider, should look at Zmanda‟s Amanda Enterprise solution.

Product: Employees: Headquarters: Website: Founded: Presence: Amanda Enterprise 50 Sunnyvale, CA zmanda.com 2006 2,000+ Customers

Zmanda

Market Pillar

• Zmanda‟s solutions are based on the source code from the Amanda open source project.

• It was founded in 2006 and has completed three rounds of funding, raising $16M.

Overview

• Specialized software agents for Windows servers, Linux servers, MySQL, Oracle, vSphere/ESXi, etc.

• Files are stored in their native formats on Amazon S3.

Strengths

• Each software agent must be purchased separately, driving up capital expenditure and operating expenses for yearly

subscriptions.

• Can only backup to Amazon S3 currently.

• 24x7 support is only available with a Premium subscription.

Challenges

Zmanda is one of the top solutions for heterogeneous

environments thanks to heavy agent specialization

•

Zmanda provides a virtual appliance that‟s capable of live backups of various applications like Exchange, SharePoint, and MySQL.

Unfortunately, each of these applications requires an agent installed, all of which are purchased independently at roughly $300 per year, per agent.

•

Zmanda only supports backing up to Amazon currently. Info-Tech believes support for other cloud storage providers is coming soon.

That specialization comes at a price though, with each agent having a yearly

subscription fee attached to it.

•

Administration of Zmanda can be done from a desktop client or Web-based interface. The desktop client looks like a mix of antiquated, cluttered prompts paired with modern graphics. The templates provided for scheduling are not very user friendly.

•

Zmanda performs all the billing, so you only have one bill to pay.

Small, mid-sized, and large businesses with heterogeneous environments (Linux, Windows, Oracle, etc.),

do not require deduplication, and are set on using Amazon as their cloud storage provider.

Ideal Profile:

Amanda Enterprise

Info-Tech Recommends:

Large, distributed organizations should look at Panzura to solve cross-site data synchronization

problems, while enabling cloud backup. Not a solution to be considered by single-site businesses.

Product: Employees: Headquarters: Website: Founded: Presence:

Alto Cloud Controller 26 San Jose, CA panzura.com 2008 Raised $18M From VCs

Panzura

Emerging Player

• Panzura targets large, distributed enterprises with storage appliances that synchronize designated data with each other, and also to cloud storage providers.

• The number of employees has grown by 140% in the last year.

Overview

• Ideal for distributed organizations with a need for collaborating on files, or making data available across locations.

• Supports public andprivate cloud storage, and backing up to tape.

• Available as a physical or virtual appliance.

Strengths

• Not designed for small and mid-sized businesses. Panzura is clear that its market is Fortune 1000, globally distributed companies.

• Difficult to identify existing customers or channel partners. • Product has only been in the market since June 2010.

Challenges

Panzura has a very clear market of large enterprises that need

to help foster collaboration mixed with cloud backup

•

Panzura‟s solution is available as either a physical or virtual appliance. Because of the nature of the solution and its target audience, it includes a feature Panzura calls Collision Control, which locks a file for editing if another user has it open.

•

Panzura currently supports four different cloud storage providers, and is clear about its focus: enabling LAN-speed file access despite the distance between offices.

Panzura’s target market will likely see its solution as very compelling,

especially those with many changes to data on Alto Cloud Controllers.

•

Panzura‟s administration interface contains a colorful mix of graphs on various data points, such as data throughput, system disk status, and a bandwidth summary. It also provides a quick view on how much

storage is used and available, and how much has been saved thanks to deduplication.

Large, globally dispersed organizations that are looking to create a private storage delivery network that

backs up to a public or private storage cloud. Small businesses will likely find the appliances too expensive,

though some mid-sized companies may find Panzura meets their needs.

Ideal Profile:

Panzura Alto Cloud Controller (Physical or Virtual)

Info-Tech Recommends:

At such a high cost, only companies that require high security, like FIPS 140-2 software and ISO

27001 certifications, should consider CoreVault‟s solution.

Product: Employees: Headquarters: Website: Founded: Presence:

Cloud Backup Online 17

Oklahoma City, OK corevault.com 2005

Endorsements from bar and medical associations in 15 states

CoreVault

• CoreVault is an offshoot of a telecom provider that was looking to solve its own backup issues.

• Its agentless solution discovers targets on the network to be backed up, backs up to disk, then replicates to the cloud.

Overview

• Built-in deduplication and continuous data protection capabilities.

• Software agent is FIPS 140-2 certified(PDF link). • Capable of storing unlimited retentions and bare metal

restorations.

• Snapshots can be restored to CoreVault‟s vCloud service as cloud servers.

Strengths

• Two data centers, but both located in Oklahoma.

• Multiple storage tiers that lead to differing restoration times and service costs.

• No service level agreement; only available to some clients. • Antiquated and cluttered user interface.

Challenges

Emerging Player

CoreVault’s solution is expensive for a reason – it’s highly

secure, and built for organizations that need that security

•

CoreVault provides software that is installed on a designated server, which backs up designated data and then replicates it to CoreVault‟s cloud storage service.

•

CoreVault is very focused on highly regulated industries - like financial, healthcare and legal - thanks to the FIPS 140-2 certified software agent. It mostly targets organizations in the fifteen states where it receives endorsements from professional associations.

CoreVault is a traditional online backup provider that has restructured as a

cloud backup provider, and includes a managed service approach.

•

CoreVault‟s administration software is cluttered and looks antiquated, with wizards for creating backup sets and retention rules that could use a user experience overhaul..

•

CoreVault performs all the billing, so you only have one bill to pay. This is offset by having to use CoreVault‟s own cloud storage service, which is the most expensive service reviewed in the Vendor Landscape.

Small and mid-sized companies that require strict security certifications, like FIPS 140-2 and ISO 27001,

both of which CoreVault has obtained, and clearly differentiates it from competitors.

Ideal Profile:

CoreVault Software Agent

Different use cases bring different vendors and solutions as the best fit to the

table. Don’t ignore your needs when looking at the budget.

Focusing on use cases causes different Champions to rise to

the top of the Cloud Backup Vendor Landscape

Use Case

Private Cloud Support

1

2

3

Mount Storage to Cloud IaaS Servers

Unstructured Data/NAS Replacement

Global, Distributed Enterprises

Organizations with strict compliance requirements, but that want to take

advantage of cloud economics, still have a choice.

If you prefer to keep backups in a private storage cloud, only a

few solutions fit your requirements

Use Case

Private Cloud Support

1

2

3

•

Zetta provides a software agent-based solution that backs up directly to its own data centers.

•

Files are stored in native file format, fees charged are exclusively based on storage usage, and you can maintain up to a seven year version history.

•

Zetta even provides one critical advanced feature identified, cross-data center mirroring between their east coast and west coast data centers. All this at very aggressive pricing.

There are many other solutions available, but those from Zetta

and Gluster did not meet the Basic Features criteria

Zetta’s direct-to-cloud approach does not provide the level of availability and

redundancy required, and Gluster substitutes the filesystem entirely.

•

Gluster‟s virtual appliance is targeted as a

replacementfor your existing NAS, and not as a cloud backupsolution.

•

You can install Gluster as a bare-metal storage software appliance, and on Amazon EC2 with EBS storage, and set this configuration up for geo-replication across the Internet.

•

It works as a do-it-yourself cloud backup solution for organizations that would prefer . provides a software agent-based solution that backs up directly to its own data centers.

Ultimately, Zetta was excluded due to the lack of an on-premise cache. Companies cannot rely on the Internet to provide access to multi-gigabyte files within a reasonable amount of time.

Due to Gluster‟s focus as a NAS replacement, it was excluded from the Vendor Landscape. It‟s a very innovative solution though and appears to have a bright future in the storage market.

How we calculated the cost

•

An Info-Tech client provided a scenario for comparing the cost of cloud backup solutions in order to

determine the value provided.

•

The scenario presented included an existing SAN, being used primarily as a file server, which requires costly upgrades to increase the capacity. The current usage is 1TB out of the 1.3.TB capacity.

•

Storage growth is projected to be 10% year over year, which was also factored into the five year cost

calculation.

•

Info-Tech Research Group used the Cloud Storage TCO Calculatorto account for all possible costs including hardware, software licensing, data transfer

and storage usage. Cloud backup solutions vary widely in cost

Source: Info-Tech Research Group

Cloud Backup Total Cost of Ownership Scenario

Methodology – Vendor Landscape & Harvey Balls

Info-Tech Research Group‟s Vendor Landscape market evaluations are a part of a larger product selection solution set, referred to as a „Select Set.‟

From the domain experience of our analysts, a vendor/product shortlist is established. Product briefings are requested from each of these vendors, asking for information on the company, products, technology, customers, partners, sales models and pricing.

Our analysts then score each vendor and product across a variety of categories. These scores are then weighted according to weighting factors that our analysts believe represent the weight that an average client should apply to each criteria. The weighted scores are then averaged for each of two high level categories: vendor score and product score. A plot of these two resulting scores is generated to place vendors in one of four categories: Champion, Innovator, Market Pillar, and Emerging Player.

Analysts take the individual scores for each vendor/product in each evaluation category and convert those to a scale of zero to four whereby exceptional performance receives a score of four and poor performance receives a score of zero. These scores are represented with “Harvey Balls”, ranging from an open circle for a score of zero to a filled in circle for a score of four. Harvey Ball scores are indicative of absolute performance but are not an exact correlation.

Individual scorecards are then sent to the vendors for factual review, and to ensure no information is under embargo. We will make corrections where factual errors exist (e.g. pricing, features, technical specifications). We will consider suggestions concerning benefits, functional quality, value, etc; however, these suggestions must be validated by feedback from our customers. We do not accept changes that are not

corroborated by actual client experience or wording changes that are purely part of a vendor‟s market messaging or positioning. Any resulting changes to final scores are then made as needed, before publishing the results to Info-Tech clients.

Methodology – Value Index

Info-Tech Research Group‟s Vendor Landscape market evaluations are a part of a larger product selection solution set, referred to as a „Select Set.‟

The Value Index is an indexed ranking of value per dollar as determined by the raw scores given to each vendor by analysts. To perform the calculation, Affordability is removed from the Product score and the entire Product category is reweighted to represent the same proportions. The Product and Vendor scores are then summed, and multiplied by the Affordability raw score to come up with Value Score. Vendors are then indexed to the highest vendor by dividing their score into that of the highest scorer, resulting in an indexed ranking with a top score of 100. The Value Index calculation is then repeated on the raw score of each category against Affordability, creating a series of indexes for Features, Usability, Viability, Strategy and Support, with each being indexed against the highest score in that category. The results for each vendor are displayed in tandem with the average score in each category to provide an idea of over and under performance.