NetApp Research Report Sample

NetApp engaged Oliver Wyman to conduct primary research with IT executives and backup administrators to determine the total cost of acquiring, deploying, operating, and managing data backup environments for centralized LAN and remote office WAN environments. NetApp commissioned this research with the belief that its SnapVault backup software, available on NetApp disk storage solutions and as a software agent that can run on a host server, provided a total cost advantage over traditional tape-based backup solutions. However, Oliver Wyman had complete autonomy over the research, data analysis, and results.

Participants in this study were recruited by Oliver Wyman for 60-90 minute structured interviews from two sources: NetApp SnapVault customer lists and various tape customers. Interview recruitment for non-NetApp customers was conducted primarily through analysis of white papers and case studies published by tape manufacturers and other storage vendors in order to contrast SnapVault customers against companies that tape vendors touted as best-practice examples of successful tape deployments.

Participants were targeted to provide diversity on a number of dimensions, including geography, industry, and size of backup environment, primary backup technology, and backup technology vendor.