STOP THE QUARTERLY MADNESS!

The independent, vendor neutral, technical experts in electronic data storage systems warn against making rash IT investment decisions in light of “quarter end” deals.
For immediate release – 10th January 2006

FLEET (Hampshire, UK) – January 2006 – The CONTENTENGINEER Group today warned Clients against making rash Information Technology (IT) investment decisions, based on what may appear to be superb “end of quarter” deals.“As we march into a fresh calendar year, and a fresh business quarter, IT sales account managers start the predatory cycle of identifying potential victims for the special end of quarter deal”, warned Rob Shrubsall, Founder and Chief Technical Expert at CONTENTENGINEER Group.

“With twenty years experience of IT on both sides of the fence, I am still amazed at how many organisations IT programmes can be influenced by the crazy quarterly selling cycles of today’s hardware manufacturers and software developers.” The Group is unique from manufacturers, developers, resellers, integrators and some analysts in the marketplace. Firstly, by offering a “Back to Basics” approach facilitating the true [electronic] data storage needs of Client organisations, the Firm can advise the optimum combination of technologies including operational processes and procedures to maximise availability of data whilst also complying with the latest statute, regulation and industry best practice.

Secondly, by being “vendorneutral” technical experts (i.e. it does not market or resell technologies or services from third parties), it offers total objectivity, honesty and transparency in all engagements ensuring that Clients receive appropriate and timely advice that meets their individual needs. “Organisations need to keep vendors at arms length before they have taken stock of their existing technology, their precise hierarchical and tiered storage needs, and understand the potential tangible and intangible benefits of investing in storage networking, data archiving, backup and recovery, replication, cloning and data management solutions” commented Mr Shrubsall.

The ever increasing miniaturisation of silicon and magnetic components will only go to see a continued trend in the reduction in price per Gigabyte. The benefit is clearly in the data management software, but this also needs to be carefully chosen and pragmatically selected to avoid long term high costs of ownership or unavoidable vendor lock-in. “Be afraid, be very afraid,” reminded Mr Shrubsall, “not all integrators and value added resellers are independent. For the best value and optimum solution to meet YOUR agenda, it is best to engage separate organisations for the design, analysis and specification phases (pre-tender), from those that could potentially bid, deliver, integrate and maintain a solution that will be holding some of your most sensitive business assets.”

The data storage and computer industry in general is now caught up in a never-ending quarter-on-quarter selling cycle that provides little breathing space for businesses and the vendors themselves. With over capacity in data storage, IT departments are urged to examine their current investments in their own timescales and to their own agenda. “Remember: prices will only go lower, and software functionality will only improve”, added Mr Shrubsall, as he predicts yet another busy IT investment quarter.

Notes to Editors

About the CONTENTENGINEER^® Group

The CONTENTENGINEER Group are independent experts based in the UK's own "silicon valley" near London in the M3/M4 corridor. The Group has the knowledge and resource to provide independent expertise and with proven methodologies, the Group provides a broad spectrum of services including software development, computer forensics, data recovery and expert witness services.

About the Founders

The Group was founded in 2001 by Rob and Sarah Shrubsall.

Rob Shrubsall is recognised as one of the UK's leading independent information system experts and investigators of electronic data storage with twenty years experience. An open systems pioneer, he has specifically worked in highly regulated markets of E-Commerce, Telecommunications, Corporate Finance, Equity Trading, Pharmaceuticals and HealthCare, as well as a trusted adviser to other industries.

Sarah Shrubsall is pioneer in the field of energy finance management, with over twenty years experience of implementing: monitoring, targeting and auditing systems. As UK Energy Finance Manager, she was responsible for the first organisation in the UK to receive electronic invoice data through EDI. She has specifically worked in Telecommunications, Finance, Building Services and Property.

Trademarks

contentengineer^®, contentforensic^®, woodlandstudios^®, and FETL^® are registered trademarks. contentrecover™, vendorneutral™ and energyforensics™ are trademarks. Copyright 2001-2010. All rights reserved. Other marks may be the [registered] trademarks of others.

Contacts

For more information please contact the Group on 01252 621843, via the website www.contentengineer.com or by info@contentengineer.com.