the storage anarchist

3.005: transparency as a competitive advantage

Several years ago, Symmetrix customers let us Symmetrix developers know that they wanted more transparency from us about code bugs issues. They wanted to know if anyone else had seen problems like they were seeing, and (more importantly) what the solution was. They wanted to know the extent of our testing, and (more importantly) they wanted to know whether their environments fit inside the standard test/regression scope that a release went through before GA. They wanted a way to identify things in their environments that weren't in step with the EMC Support Matrix. They wanted to know the bugs issues we fixed in each release, even if it had nothing to do with their environment. And they wanted us to protect them from issues that we knew about, even if THEY weren't aware of the issue.

And they made it quite clear they weren't going to take "no, sorry" for an answer.

And so began the virtuous cycle of transparency. For most of the last decade we have had teams focus on providing the tools and information that customers were demanding. Driven by customer feedback, we have expanded this transparency far beyond the original "baby-steps" into what today is at least a differentiator, if not a huge competitive advantage.

Just some of the things we've done:

• We changed the EMC eLab Support Matrix from a printout of hundreds of pages into an on-line database that supports ad-hoc and template inquiries;
• We provided customers the means to create templates of their environments that could automatically be used to validate against the on-line support matrix;
• We tied our test matrix into these systems so customers could see the scope of configuration testing that was applied to each release prior to GA;
• We provided customers with on-line access to all customer-reported issues, and empowered them to track progress, work-arounds and solutions to the problems as they were identified and implemented;
• We provided them with an automated interface into the issues database that can block scripts and management interfaces (GUI, SMI-S, etc.) from performing operations that are known to invoke potential issues – in real time, as they are discovered;
• And we document every potential DU/DL issue we fix in New Releases, Service Releases and Maintenance Releases – even if the issue has never been seen by a customer.

This last one is perhaps to most transparent thing we've ever done; more importantly, customers tell us that they really like what we've done. And all of this transparency is a foundational component of our overall commitment to TCE – maximizing the Total Customer Experience of our installed base.

3.004: tell them why - an idea worth spreading

One of the more rewarding aspects of my job is the customer interaction it affords me to have with some of the largest IT organizations in the world. I am frequently called upon to brief customers in EMC's renowned Executive Briefing Centers, both here in Hopkinton MA as well as at our other EBCs in Santa Clara and Cork, Ireland (to name just two).

Thankfully, EMC has invested to deploy Cisco Telepresence at numerous EMC facilities, and recently we've linked our TP network with several partners (like Cisco and AT&T), affording the opportunity to speak with multiple customers around the globe on a single day, without even one second spent in an airplane.

I humbly admit that I'm pretty good at what I do, or perhaps even more humbly, allow me to politely note that customers and sales teams alike consistently rate my briefing sessions and presentations very highly in their visit and event assessments. I am often pleased to receive follow-up feedback from an account team that attributes a portion of their success to an EBC session with me, or to receive a note from a customer asking me if I could find time to share my perspectives with their management or peers.

And, as you might expect, I am often asked to explain how it is that I handle these briefings and presentations so well, and indeed that is a very difficult question to respond to. To be sure, simple experience plays a role, as does a deep understanding of the topics that I am called upon to discuss. But there are oodles of experienced subject matter experts who aren't good at this sort of thing (I'm sure we've all sat through more than one death-by-PowerPoint session, eyes glued to the clock in hopes that the session ends before the misery saps our very lifeblood away – so to speak). As a result, the true answer has eluded my conscious response for years.

Last week, while on vacation, I happened upon what I believe is the answer to the question; the answer not only to why my briefings stand out for my audiences, but perhaps indeed the secret behind all why inspirational, motivating and enjoyable presenters.

Notice, I said "Why" and not "How" my presentations are different, or "What" makes my sessions click.

The answer is in the "why…"