But the report's credibility is questionable on several fronts, says an
industry analyst from another market research firm, who wished to remain
anonymous.
First, Emulex paid for the study, which instantly compromises its credibility -- at least in the eyes of competitors. The report's also based on a survey of just 20 organizations --
making its statistical validity questionable. What's more, HBAs account for a relatively
small part of the overall operation of a SAN, so any claims of dramatic
cost-savings from using a specific HBA are ludicrous, the analyst says.
"The only thing that Emulex puts in the SAN is the host bus adapter. Do you
think a host bus adapter can make you 27 percent more productive?" the analyst
says. "The study is bulls***."
A devil's advocate might say such complaints carry a whiff of sour grapes. And Eric Sheppard, senior research analyst at IDC who conducted the study, isn't making any apologies. "We didn't hide the fact that Emulex paid for
it, and we didn't hide the fact that it was a small sample," he says. "The
results are the results."
He adds that IDC doesn't attribute 100 percent of the benefits it found in the
survey exclusively to Emulex. Indeed, a prominent disclaimer in the report
says, "Many factors contribute to implementation and management costs in a SAN."
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