Test 439: Fundamentals of Enterprise Solutions Using IBM Tivoli Storage 2008

Section 1 - Establish the Customer’s Baseline (planning/inventory) (30%)

1. Given the company organization chart schedule an introductory meeting with customer sponsor and all interested parties so that a list of key players and decision makers with corresponding roles and responsibilities is created

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Identify customer sponsor
2. Schedule an introductory meeting with customer sponsor and all interested parties
3. Record key names and identify key players, including key decision makers
4. Verify that key players and decision makers are valid
5. Match key players with key storage functionality within the organization
6. Compile a final list of key players and decision makers (title, contact information, etc.)


2. Given the availability of customer key personnel, describe the storage hardware, networking, operating systems, relational databases, applications and key vendor environments within the customer organization so that a document is produced that properly describes the customer environment

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Request information on networking, operating systems, relational databases, applications and key vendor environments
2. Request information on all storage related hardware (tape libraries, disk, SAN, switches, NAS, etc.)
3. Validate customer reported environment is accurate and up to date
4. Interview and meet with the technical owners of the networking, operating systems, relational databases, applications and key vendor environments to discuss potential impact on overall storage design
5. Document findings as it relates to the storage and network infrastructure


3. Given a customer contact and a description of the IT structure including hardware topology and business organizational information, create a document that represents the organizational structure within the customer environment so that the IT structure, hardware topology, and business organizational information are documented

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Request IT structure (including hardware topology) and business organizational information from customer
2. Process information received
3. Compile the results of the processed information
4. Create document that represents the IT structure (including hardware topology) and business organizational within the customer environment


4. Given a list of the customer’s business processes, identify the key areas of the processes that relate to storage so that the customer’s current business processes (and service level requirements) are documented including any gaps

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Identify key areas in the business process (service level requirements) that relate to storage, such as:

- hardware administration
- storage provisioning
- data backups
- data recovery
- new initiative deployment
- audit/compliance
- uptime requirements (fault tolerance)
2. Create a process map
3. Create a gap analysis


5. Given the availability of the information and key persons, document the customers IT process maturity as it relates to storage by creating an overall IT storage process maturity document

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Request information on the practice of IT process maturity as it relates to storage. This may include:

- authorization (privileges)
- audit/compliance (event audit-ability, change management, problem management)
- disk management (workflow, provisioning, availability)
- data management (data recovery, data security)
- capacity planning
- TSM and TPC monitoring and reporting
2. Interview the overall IT resources owner and the storage infrastructure administrator
3. Compile information received
4. Create a document that outlines the customer IT process maturity as it relates to storage


6. Given the documents describing a customer’s current storage environment, combine the documents so that the customer’s baseline is documented

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Combine the documents

Section 2 - Evaluate the customer’s IT processes, job roles, and technologies (36%)

1. Given in-house security standards documents, certification requirements, and IBM security standards documents, retrieve existing in-house standards and certification requirements, taking

into account relevant international (government or civil) standards so that a document describing relevant security standards and certification requirements is available for the project
With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Retrieve existing in-house standards and certification requirements
2. Determine if the customer has any retention requirements from the government or other legal entities that are specific to their business
3. Advise on relevant international (government or civil) standards


2. Given a list of key decision makers, interview key decision makers and compile the customer’s storage requirements so that a document is created containing the customer’s business and desired storage requirements

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Document the customer’s business requirements
2. Obtain customer’s immediate business/ storage needs
3. Obtain customer’s long term business/ storage vision
4. Schedule meetings with key decision makers
5. Interview key decision makers
6. Gather customer’s stated storage requirements
7. Compile a list of governing standards that affect data retention
8. Document customer’s stated storage requirements


3. Given the customer’s baseline and storage scenarios, analyze business processes from a storage perspective so that a document describing actual data management requirements is created

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Analyze business process from the following perspectives:

- data backup, recovery and archiving policies
- data security policies
- disaster recovery process
- information lifecycle management policies
- data availability (including HA, single point of failure, network failures)
- capacity management
2. Document data management requirements


4. Given the customer’s baseline and storage scenarios, analyze business processes from a storage perspective so that a document describing actual storage hardware management requirements is created

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Analyze business process from the following perspectives:

- workflow
- provisioning
- availability
- critical systems for disaster recovery
- performance monitoring
2. Document storage hardware management requirements


5. Given the customer baseline document, the data management and the storage hardware requirement documents, evaluate the baseline to identify scenarios so that a document describing the storage scenarios is created to scope the project

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Evaluate baseline to identify scenarios in

- authorization (privileges)
- audit/compliance (event audit-ability, change management, problem management)
- risk analysis and management
2. Document storage scenarios


6. Given the customer’s baseline and storage scenarios, analyze business processes from a storage perspective so that a document describing actual storage requirements is created

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Analyze business process from the following perspectives:

- authorization (privileges)
- audit/compliance (event audit-ability, change management, problem management)
- disk management (workflow, provisioning, availability)
- data management (data recovery, data security)
- capacity planning
- risk management
2. Document business scenarios and their impact on the storage environment

Section 3 - Identify storage opportunities (20%)

1. Given the customer’s baseline and actual storage requirements, perform an analysis so that a document describing the gaps in the customer’s storage environment is produced

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Analyze customer’s baseline document against industry and international (government or civil) standards and regulations to identify gaps
2. Analyze the customer’s storage requirements document against industry and international (government or civil) standards and regulations to identify gaps
3. Analyze the customer’s baseline and storage requirements to determine gaps in customer’s current environment with respect to their storage goals
4. Document gaps in customer’s storage plan


2. Given the understanding of the customer’s actual storage requirements and the understanding of Tivoli’s storage offerings (including IBM, other Tivoli, and Tivoli Partner products), match the customer’s storage requirements to Tivoli storage solutions and consolidate into a single document identifying those opportunities

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Identify a storage solution (including software and hardware) that meets customer's actual storage requirements
2. Make recommendations to fill in the gap
3. Record findings


3. Given the understanding of the customer, industry and IBM/Tivoli’s long-range strategy for storage solutions, define a long-range plan for future direction of customer’s storage solutions and consolidate into a single document

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Analyze customer documents or results of interviews expressing vision to determine influence on future direction
2. Analyze the current storage industry standards to determine influence on future direction
3. Analyze IBM/Tivoli’s storage vision to determine influence on future direction
4. Analyze storage reporting and usage trending to determine future direction
5. Incorporate and document the current storage industry standards, IBM/Tivoli’s storage strategy, and trending into future direction

Section 4 - Create, justify, and deliver solution design/recommendation (14%)

1. Given the documents previously generated (baseline, evaluation results, identified storage opportunities), describe the solution’s design comprehensively so that the customer has a clear idea of the value of the proposed solution

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Explain IBM/Tivoli’s storage strategy
2. List the recommended IBM Tivoli storage solution and describe its business value
3. Describe the technical value of recommended IBM Tivoli storage solution
4. Describe general storage concepts related to recommended customer solution
5. Assess customer’s skill set against recommended IBM Tivoli storage solution
6. Explain “Best Practices” for IT processes as it relates to the solution
7. Create business case justification for project
8. Differentiate IBM storage solution from competitors
9. Identify scope of customer’s operational IT environment as it relates to the solution
10. Identify roles required to implement IBM Tivoli storage solution in customer’s environment
11. Assess the potential impact to the customer’s current environment
12. Highlight performance (and optimization where appropriate) and availability characteristics of recommended customer’s storage solution
13. Describe IBM Tivoli storage products, functionality, and integration points involved in the customer solution


2. Given a list of Tivoli products in the solution and results of prior and ongoing interactions with customer personnel, provide the customer with a document describing recommended education

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Gather educational materials relevant to storage requirements
2. Disseminate recommended educational opportunities and related materials relevant to the recommended solution


3. Given the solution design document and education recommendations, create a transition document so that interested parties can review it

With emphasis on performing the following:
1. Create a transition plan (recommended solution and education)
2. Make transition plan available for interested parties