Hardware sources
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Dell is what I use. HPE has been upping their game with support too. I have used Xbyte and a lot of people here also have used them and they are good quality.
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@dbeato said in Hardware sources:
Dell is what I use. HPE has been upping their game with support too. I have used Xbyte and a lot of people here also have used them and they are good quality.
And they are active here in the community, too.
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@bj said in Hardware sources:
Hey... my company has been relying on http://www.thinkmate.com/ for their server needs. This isn't a company I know much about when it comes to server hardware. Do any of you know much about them? Are they any good? What is your hardware brand of choice? I've used dell in the past, and have loved them, but I'm not sure if it is worth trying to make the change.
#servers #thinkmate #dell #hpDell Direct?
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@scottalanmiller said in Hardware sources:
@bj said in Hardware sources:
Thus far, I've got the impression that people might prefer dell, but they haven't exactly come out and said it.
I prefer Dell because I can get it refurb with full warranty through xByte. I've been hinting to them that we'd like them to offer SuperMicro as well, though.
xByte is an excellent option if company doesn't need new!
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@bj said in Hardware sources:
I had a sales guy reach out to me about Synology. Have you had any exposure to them?
SOHO units.
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@KOOLER said in Hardware sources:
@scottalanmiller said in Hardware sources:
@bj said in Hardware sources:
Thus far, I've got the impression that people might prefer dell, but they haven't exactly come out and said it.
I prefer Dell because I can get it refurb with full warranty through xByte. I've been hinting to them that we'd like them to offer SuperMicro as well, though.
xByte is an excellent option if company doesn't need new!
They sell new as well now.
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I'll have to take a look at xbyte. I was trying to get quotes from SHI, but haven't been too impressed with them thus far.
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I'm a fan of Dell and xbyte. Supermicro is fine as well, but the support and speccing process seem different.
But only because they're (supermicro) site is Just so massive with options.
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@bj said in Hardware sources:
I'll have to take a look at xbyte. I was trying to get quotes from SHI, but haven't been too impressed with them thus far.
I've not heard much good about SHI. xByte has been great. Been working with them for years.
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In my experience a good account rep trumps the trivial differences between the hardware. I have a good rep at CDW and HPE gear has worked well for me. I haven't gone the way of buying refurb yet.
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@Mike-Davis said in Hardware sources:
In my experience a good account rep trumps the trivial differences between the hardware. I have a good rep at CDW and HPE gear has worked well for me. I haven't gone the way of buying refurb yet.
A good rep is necessary, but other than placing your orders quickly, what value do they add? You can't use them for anything other than quotes and placing orders and RMAs, that sort of thing. You don't even need an account rep, just place orders. Account reps, even good ones, are just in the way. No need for them.
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@scottalanmiller said in Hardware sources:
A good rep is necessary, but other than placing your orders quickly, what value do they add? You can't use them for anything other than quotes and placing orders and RMAs, that sort of thing. You don't even need an account rep, just place orders. Account reps, even good ones, are just in the way. No need for them.
When I get requests like the one last week for a laptop with rubber bumpers, I could search the internet, or I just email my account rep, tell him what specs I want in the laptop and tell him I want a case for it protects the edges. Huge time saver for me. And if it doesn't fit or something, I just email him back and let him make it right.
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@scottalanmiller said in Hardware sources:
A good rep is necessary, but other than placing your orders quickly, what value do they add? You can't use them for anything other than quotes and placing orders and RMAs, that sort of thing. You don't even need an account rep, just place orders. Account reps, even good ones, are just in the way. No need for them.
Also when buying new HPE stuff, there are often "smart buys" that are preconfigured options offered at a lower price. If you just use a website to search for what you're looking for, you might miss out on those and pay more than you need to for the same hardware.
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@Mike-Davis said in Hardware sources:
@scottalanmiller said in Hardware sources:
A good rep is necessary, but other than placing your orders quickly, what value do they add? You can't use them for anything other than quotes and placing orders and RMAs, that sort of thing. You don't even need an account rep, just place orders. Account reps, even good ones, are just in the way. No need for them.
When I get requests like the one last week for a laptop with rubber bumpers, I could search the internet, or I just email my account rep, tell him what specs I want in the laptop and tell him I want a case for it protects the edges. Huge time saver for me. And if it doesn't fit or something, I just email him back and let him make it right.
So you let a salesman determine the best fit for your needs? If you aren't doing any research, how do you know he didn't just screw your customer by selling the thing that earns him the most margin (CDW is famous for how extremely they do this.) And what's your role here? If the customer wanted to engage predatory salesman directly, they could. No need for an IT person.
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@Mike-Davis said in Hardware sources:
@scottalanmiller said in Hardware sources:
A good rep is necessary, but other than placing your orders quickly, what value do they add? You can't use them for anything other than quotes and placing orders and RMAs, that sort of thing. You don't even need an account rep, just place orders. Account reps, even good ones, are just in the way. No need for them.
Also when buying new HPE stuff, there are often "smart buys" that are preconfigured options offered at a lower price. If you just use a website to search for what you're looking for, you might miss out on those and pay more than you need to for the same hardware.
And vice versa. If you only go through CDW you'll only hear about Smart Buys and other promotions that are in their interest.
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@scottalanmiller said in Hardware sources:
So you let a salesman determine the best fit for your needs? If you aren't doing any research, how do you know he didn't just screw your customer by selling the thing that earns him the most margin (CDW is famous for how extremely they do this.) And what's your role here? If the customer wanted to engage predatory salesman directly, they could. No need for an IT person.
My role was picking the specs for the laptop. When he quotes me the laptop and case, I can take a look and spot check the price if I want. After he finds a case, I can take a look at it and see what kind of reviews it has.
How would you handle a request like that from a customer?
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@Mike-Davis said in Hardware sources:
@scottalanmiller said in Hardware sources:
So you let a salesman determine the best fit for your needs? If you aren't doing any research, how do you know he didn't just screw your customer by selling the thing that earns him the most margin (CDW is famous for how extremely they do this.) And what's your role here? If the customer wanted to engage predatory salesman directly, they could. No need for an IT person.
My role was picking the specs for the laptop. When he quotes me the laptop and case, I can take a look and spot check the price if I want. After he finds a case, I can take a look at it and see what kind of reviews it has.
How would you handle a request like that from a customer?
If I'm only asked to get specs and then pass it back to the customer and my job is done and they ask me to forward on to a salesguy and to step away, then sure, I'd do that. That's like asking your real estate agent how many square feet you need and then telling the agent to not be involved and let the seller's agent sell whatever they can get away with.
But if I'm in the IT role and responsible as the buyer's agent (IT role = buyer's agent for businesses) then it's my responsibility to know what is out there and do the research. Sure, there are cases where a single item is so trivially cheap and commodity that it's not worth the time to research - but normally in those cases you just go to Amazon, at least to see prices. Someone like CDW is a VAR and tack on a lot of cost (normally hidden in upsales) associated with using them. Like they don't give good discounts, sell based on kickbacks and behind the scenes promotions and such - CDW is the most well known in the industry for this as their "recommended" solutions change week to week based on the current vendor promotions. They don't recommend what is good for you, but what is good for them.
If customers don't want a buyer's representative, that's fine and up to them. But is it clear to them that they are being sold stuff by a sales person directly without any buyer's agent anywhere in the stream? It's like going to a real estate sale, telling the seller you'll buy anything they recommend with the adequate square footage. Yes, you'll get a house quickly, but it'll be the one for which the seller gets the highest commission and not one based around the buyer's needs.
