REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) 2017-14...VITA RFI 2017-14 – Veritas Response 4 2. Introduction Corporate Overview VITA may know Veritas Information Management and Information Intelligence

VITARFI2017-14–VeritasResponse

1

VeritasResponseto

COMMONWEALTHOFVIRGINIA

VIRGINIAINFORMATIONTECHNOLOGIESAGENCY(VITA)

SUPPLYCHAINMANAGEMENTDIVISION

SinglePointofContact(SPOC):

GregScearce,VITASupplyChainManagement(SCM)

(804)416-6166

[email protected]

10/21/16

VeritasTechnologies,LLCwww.veritas.com

GlobalHeadquarters

500EastMiddlefieldRoad

MountainView,CA94043

PublicSectorHeadquarters

2350CorporateParkDrive,Suite600

Herndon,VA20171

JeffPeyton

VAAccountExecutive

[email protected]

703.984.9796

DUNS:07-976-3288

CAGECode:7E6C0

NAICSCodes:511210,541330,423430,

518210,541513,541512,541519

GSASchedule:

GS-35F-4342D(HeldbyIngram’s)

GS-35F-0119Y(Carahsoft)

GS-35F-4543G(DLT)

Veritasisalargebusiness.

REQUESTFORINFORMATION(RFI)2017-14

FOR:

SERVER,DATACENTER,ANDSECURITYSERVICES


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TableofContents

1. RespondentInformation.................................................................................................3

2. Introduction....................................................................................................................4

3. Questions........................................................................................................................6

4. FeedbackRegardingRFIDocuments..............................................................................24


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1. RespondentInformation

ContactInformation

CompanyName VeritasTechnologies,LLC

CompanyMailingAddress

PublicSectorHeadquarters

2350CorporateParkDriveSuite400

Herndon,VA20171

CompanyWebsiteAddress www.veritas.com

NameofContactPerson JeffPeyton,VAAccountExecutive

ContactPersonE-mailAddress [email protected]

ContactPersonTelephone# 703.984.9796


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2. IntroductionCorporateOverview

VITA may know Veritas Information Management and Information Intelligence solutions from our

days as part of Symantec Corporation. Veritas has recently operationally separated from Symantec

and has been purchased by the Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. Now operating as Veritas

Technologies,LLC,webecameanindependentprivatelyheldcompanyasofJanuary292016.Moving

forward, the Veritas core focus is to continue delivering the following best of breed Information

ManagementandInformationGovernancesolutions(clickformoreinfo):

• NetBackup(NBU)

• BackupExec

• DisasterRecoveryOrchestrator

• VeritasResiliencyPlatform(VRP)

• InfoScale(formerlyStorageFoundation)

• EnterpriseVault(archiving)

• eDiscoveryPlatform(eDP)

• DataInsight

• InfoMap

Veritas solutions enable organizations to harness their information, bolstering business success in

even themost complex environments.We serve organizations of all sizes, including 86 percent of

globalFortune500companies.WeserveeveryfederalagencyintheUnitedStates.Infact,forovera

decade Gartner Magic Quadrant has recognized Veritas as a leader for both Enterprise Backup

Software&IntegratedAppliances,andEnterpriseInformationArchiving.

Wehelpourcustomers improve theirdataavailabilityandunlock insights fromtheirdata tomake

themmorecompetitive.Wehaveover7,800employeesin58countriesaroundtheworld,withour

global headquarters located inMountain View, California. Veritas hasmultiple support and design

centersthroughouttheUSandinternationally.Veritasalsohassolutionsimplementedthroughoutall

federalagencies.

Wepartnerwiththelargesttechnologyleaders,includingAmazon,Cisco,Fujitsu,Google,Hitachi,HP,

IBM,Microsoft,NetApp,OpenStack,Symantec,EMCandmanymore.

Foracompletelistofhardwarevendorsandtheircompatibility:

https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.000025228

Forhardwareandsoftwarecompatibilitylists:

https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.000033647


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VITASolutionOverview

As a long standing partner of VIRGINIA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AGENCY (VITA), and as the

industry leader in Backup and Recovery, Archiving and Information Availability, Veritas brings a

heritageofsupporttotheVITAenvironment.Weareveryappreciativeofourcurrentpartnershipto

be the foundation of your data protection, disaster recovery and archiving environment supporting

yourmission critical applications and data.Our dedicated personnel fromVeritas have a history of

guiding customers in capacity planning and considerations, feature and functionality, software

deployments,training,upgrades,patching,securityresolutionsaswellasbreakfix. Thisrelationship

allows us to stand uniquely qualified to facilitate VITA’s future considerations and pursues.Our

expertiserunsdeepinnotonlythedataprotection,butinknowledgeoftheworkingsofthecurrent

environment.

ValueVeritasProvidesforVITA:

• Anintegratedconvergedplatformthatcanscalewithoutcomplexity

• Enablementtoprotect,locate,andrecovermoreinformationinlesstimeacrossanycombinationof

platformsorstorageenvironments

• Leverageoftheexistingtool(s)acrossenvironmentstoensuresimplicityandconsistencyinprotection

• Strategicpartnerprovidingabroadspectrumtechnology(Backup&Recovery,Archiving,Info

Availability)

• RecognizedleaderforbothEnterpriseBackupSoftware&IntegratedAppliancesandInformation

Archiving

VeritasprovidesManagedServicesofferingsformanycustomerssupportingbothBackup&Recovery

and Archiving solutions.We have experience improving our clients’ backup and recovery

environmentsbyelevatingtheirdataprotectionmetrics tothehighest levelswhile focusingoncost.

Veritas does accentuate some of our customers on our website with testimonials, but due to our

confidentialityconsiderationsthatarepartofouragreements,wecannotdiscloseourclientswithout

previouswrittenauthorization;thesamecourtesyandconsiderationwewillextendtoVITA.

Our current response leads with our operational out tasking, allowing VITA or its affiliate to still

maintain control of the environmentwhile very quickly& efficiently offloadingmanagement of the

backup environment so you can focus on your core initiatives. As you start to transition your

operational environment towards a full “as a Service”model, Veritas can assist in that journey. A

transitionteamfromVeritas,composedofseniorengineers,wouldworkwithyoutoperformanalysis,

planningandexecutionleveragingbestpracticesfittoyourenvironment.Bywayofexamplewecould

saysomeobjectivesmightbe:Set thecorrect flowof information, focusingonoptimizingresources,

standardizingtheplatformforamoreefficientoperation,andassessthestateofthebackuptopology.

Manyof theseassets, theknowledgeand integrationwith theproduct support andengineeringare

uniqueonlytoVeritas.

Giventheabove,shouldVITAmoveforwardwiththis initiative,weurgeyoutoconsiderVeritasasa

valuable partner to whomever you pursue. Independently or with our valued partners, we can

maintain and protect the level of support, unique knowledge, and personnel that maintain and

maximizetheviabilityofVITA’smostcriticaldataprotectionandrecoveryenvironment.


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3. QuestionsRef# Category Question SupplierResponseServer/StorageServices

Q1. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthhasupwardsof10non-centralizedDataCenters

inAgency-operatedbuildings,primarilyinthemetroRichmondarea.

WhatareexamplesofSuppliers’bestpracticesinmanagingthe

Servers,Storage,Firewalls,andDataCenterLANsinnon-centralized

(Agency)facilities?

Norecommendations

Q2. Server/Storage WhatdoestheSupplierrecommendforthelengthofthecontractfor

Server,Storage,andDataCenterServices?Pleasedescribebenefits

andtrade-offs.

Norecommendations

Q3. DataCenter WhatdoyourecommendforthelengthofthecontractfortheData

CenterFacilityforthistypeofenvironment?

Norecommendations

Q4. Server/Storage WhatdoestheSupplierrecommendfortechnologyrefreshratefor

thedifferenttypesofDevicesinVITA’senvironment?Istherean

impactonthelengthoftheservicescontract?

A3yearsoftwaretechnologyrefreshwilltraditionally

affordcustomerstheabilitytoimplementtwomajor

releasesofthetechnologyandincorporateminor

releaseandpatchesasneeded.Asforhardware,we

havetraditionallyseenourstoragedeviceshavean

EndofSalesLifeafter3yearsandanEndofSupport

lifeafter5years.

Q5. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthisinterestedinaseparatehardwarechargein

theServerRUstoaccountfortheinitialcapitaloutlayforphysical

servers.Isthereabetterwaytorepresentthecostdifferencesand

hardwarerefreshcycleintheServerRUstructure?

Norecommendations

Q6. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthisproposingtieringofservicesforServerand

Storageinanattempttoaligncostswithavailabilityandperformance.

Basedonyourexperience,dothesetiersofservicehaveany

challengesindevelopingasolution?Doyouhaveexperiencewith

theseservicetieringmodel?Doyouhaveanyrecommendationsor

enhancementsfortheCommonwealthtoconsider?

Wehaveseenotherstateandlocalgovernment

agenciesdevelop3and4tierstoragemodelsto

potentiallyaligncostwithavailabilityand

performance.Hiddencoststhatthestateneedsto

ensurewhenthecostmodelisbasedonstorage

beingusedare:


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponse

• Optimizationofstorageateachtierto

reducestoragefootprintswithinatier

• Governanceofdataandseamlessmigration

ofdatabetweentiersasdatastoredonmore

costlystoragearelessfrequentlyaccesses.

• Reportingtothecommonwealthfornotonly

capacityusageinagivenmonthbutdeeper

analyticstomakeinformedretention

decisionsaboutdatathatisdriving

unnecessarystoragecosts

Adoptingasoftware-definedstoragesolution

affordingtheflexibilityofbothbestofbreed

storage,flash/SSD,andcommodity

infrastructurethatensuresalignmentwith

availabilityandperformance.

Q7. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthcurrentlyspreadscostsacrossaverysimpleRU

model.DoyouhaveanenhancedRUmodelthatcouldofferalarger

varietyofserviceswhileminimizingtheRUsandtheircomplexity?

Norecommendations

Q8. Server/Storage

TheCommonwealthisincludingBronzethruPlatinumservicelevels

forServerasexamplesofservicecategories.Whatwouldbe

requiredtoimplementthismodelintheCommonwealth?

Veritaswillreviewwiththecommonwealththe

networkinfrastructureandclientworkloadstoclearly

outlineachievableSLAtargets.Thosetargetscan

alignwithBronzethroughPlatinumServicelevels.

Q9. Server/Storage Doyouseeabetterwaytobundleorspilttheservicesweare

requesting,inordertomoreeffectivelyintegratewithothertowers

(includingMSI),andobtainmoreflexibilityintheCommonwealth’sIT

environmentwhilemaintainingappropriateGovernanceandsecurity?

Norecommendations

Q10. Server/Storage AretheirnewStorageofferings,likeObjectBasedStorageor

predictivestorage,thattheCommonwealthshouldincludeinstorage

orenhancedservices?Howdoyouofferandchargeforvirtual

Aconversationaboutcontemporarystoragesolutions

wouldbepointlesswithoutdiscussingtheadvances

incloud-basedalternatives.S3isperfectexampleof


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsestorage? howbothObjectandCloudcanprovidecustomers

withacosteffectiveandevenmoresoadaptable

storagesolutionforwhatamountsto(moreoften

thannot)alargeportionoftheirinformation.Thisof

courseisnotasilverbulletaspubliccloudisn’toften

consideredtheprimarytargetfortier1workloads

(emailnotwithstanding).Additionally,theabilityto

movedynamicallybetweencloudandon-premise

technologiesisessentialtoasuccessfulnext-gen

architecture.Whatthismeansisthatcustomers

shouldbelookingtoimplementastorage

managementplatformthatachievesthefollowing:

- IntelligentDataClassification(ApplicationAware)

- AdvancedTieringandMigrationCapabilitiessoas

tofutureproofinvestmentsbothinanoutofthe

cloud

- AdaptabletoLegacyandemergingworkloads

- AddressesCapacityandPerformance

independently

- HardwareAgnostic,supportingLocal,SAN,DAS

andCloudStorage(HybridStorageCloud)

- Fullyresilientwithready-madeDRcapabilities

- AddressesCopyDataManagement/Data

VirtualizationChallenges

- MinimalOperationaldisruption

Pleasenotethatmostindustryanalysts(IDC,Gartner)

areessentiallyinagreementacrosstheseconcepts

whenitcomestoaSoftwareDefinedStorage


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsestrategy.

Veritasisnotapointsolutioninthisspace,we

addressintotalitytheitemsdescribedabove.These

arethetenetstoaSoftwareDefinedStorage

architecturebuiltuponInfoScaleEnterprise&Veritas

Access.

Q11. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthisinterestedinensuringitprovidesoptimal

storageperformanceandavailabilityforVITAandVITA’sCustomers.

Howdoyouproposetoprovideandmeasurethisperformance?

TheVeritasNetBackup™5240Applianceisan

enterprisebackupappliancewithbuilt-in

redundancy,expandablestorageandintelligentend-

to-enddeduplicationforphysicalandvirtual

environments.OnlyVeritasappliancesdeduplicate

onboththeclientandtargetside.Equippedwith

Veritas™V-Raytechnology,itprovidesunique

visibilityintovirtualenvironmentsthatspeeds

recoveryandreducesstoragecosts.Content-aware

deduplicationreducesthesizeofbackupssoyoucan

storemoredatacosteffectivelyandreplicatefaster.

Producthighlightsinclude:

•Suitableorenvironmentstartingat4TBand

expandableupto458TBusablecapacity,NetBackup

appliancesareidealforbothremoteofficesand

enterprisedatacenters.

•Multiplefunctionaldeployasmasterserver,media

server,orbothforaNetBackupdomain.

•FitsintoexistingNetBackupenvironments

EasilyexpandorrefreshexistingBackup

environmentswithoutdisruptingoperations.

•UltimatevirtualmachineprotectionSupports


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseVMware®vSphere™andMicrosoftHyper-V®,no

proxyserversrequired.

•WideAreaNetwork(WAN)optimizationupto10x

fastertransferrateforbackupstocloudand

replicatingoff-site.

•NetBackupAcceleratordeliverstraditional,full

backupsatthespeedofincrementalbackups.

•Simpleandfastsnapshotreplication,accelerate

snapshotreplicationmanagementandgranularfile

levelrecoveryfromanyreplicatedsnapshotimage.

•Operationalsimplicitypowerupandwalkthrough

theinstallationwizardtostartbackingupinminutes.

•Improveresourceutilization,decreasebackup

storageupto50timesandbandwidthconsumption

upto99percent.

•Flexiblededuplicationoptionsdeduplicationat

sourceortarget;inlineorpost-process.

•Dynamicstorage,usablecapacitycanbeany

combinationofupto458TBdeduplicationor

AdvancedDiskpool(non-deduplicatedstorage).

•StorageAreaNetwork(SAN)clientsupport,high-

speedstreamingthroughFibreChanneltoNetBackup

5240.

•Built-inreplication,policybasedreplication

poweredbyVeritas™OpenStorage.

•AutoImageReplication(AIR),replicatebackup

imagestoaremoteNetBackupdomainforelectronic

vaultinganddisasterrecoveryreadiness.

•Heterogeneouscloudgateway,servesasagateway

unitforsendingbackupstosupportedcloudstorage


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsevendors.

•Securesin-flightandat-restbackupdata,

encryptionmaybeconfiguredforsourceandtarget

deduplication.

•Tapesupport,writetotapeforlong-termdata

retention.

InfoScalehelpsyourITteamsrealizeevermore

reliableoperationsandbetterprotectedinformation

andapplicationsacrossyourphysicalandvirtual

infrastructures.

Withenterprise-classresiliencyandsoftware-defined

storagefeaturesforcriticalservicesacrossyourdata

centerinfrastructure,InfoScaleensuresthatyourIT

operationsperformattheirhighestlevels.

Producthighlightsinclude:

• Asapplicationcomponentsincreasinglyget

distributedacrossmultiplephysicaland

virtualtiers,theirmanagementgets

increasinglycomplex.InfoScaleEnterprise

shieldsyoufromthiscomplexitywithVirtual

BusinessServices(VBS),asimpleconstruct

thatinternalizesthestart/stopsequencing

anddependencybetweendifferenttiersthat

comprisethemultitierapplications.


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseVBSisawareofthecompletebusiness

serviceandtakesactionintheeventofa

failure.Whenanindividualcomponentofthe

multitierapplicationfails,VirtualBusiness

Servicesnotonlyrecoversthefailed

application,itautomaticallyorchestratesthe

connectiontoothercomputingresources

neededtokeepthebusinessservice

available.Theresultisfasterrecoveryand

minimaldowntime—allwithnomanual

intervention.

• Normalclusteringreliesonresourcepollingto

determinethe

healthofyourapplicationresources.Thispolling

processincreasesprocessoroverheadbut,more

importantly,doesn’talwaysnoticefaults

immediately.

IntelligentMonitoringFrameworkinInfoScale

Enterpriseasynchronouslymonitorsselected

Resources,meaningfailurescanbedetected

instantaneously.TheCPUoverheadassociated

withtraditionalpoll-basedmonitoringisalso

greatlyreduced.

• Yourproductionenvironmentsareconstantly

changing.Havingaregularcadenceoftesting

yourdisasterrecoverystrategyiscriticalto


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseguaranteeasuccessfulrecoveryintheeventof

anoutage.

InfoScaleEnterpriseincludesFireDrill,atool

thatsimulatesdisasterrecoverytestsby

startingupanapplicationatthedisaster

recoverysiteasitwouldinanactualdisaster.

Becauseitisasimulation,FireDrilldoesnot

disruptproductionapplications,soitcanbe

runasoftenasnecessary,eliminatingthe

needforextensivemanualweekendtesting

• SmartIOandstorage-tieringtechnologies

fromVeritasnotonlyenhancestorage

performanceandQoSbutalsothecost-

effectivenessoftheoverallstorage

environment.

SmartIOisespeciallyusefulforlotsofsmall,

randomreadsandwrites,suchaswitha

transactionaldatabase.Bykeepinghotdata

insidetheserveronfastsolid-statedevices,

applicationreadsarefilledupto400percent

fasterthantheycanbeoveratraditional

StorageAreaNetwork(SAN),reducingcosts

bymorethan80percent.

Additionally,storagetieringallowsless


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsefrequentlyaccessedorlower-prioritydatato

bestoredonlower-grade,less-expensive

storage.

• InfoScaleEnterprisecanbemountedonupto64

clusternodessimultaneously,makingitanideal

solutionforapplicationscale-out.Itsload-

balancingarchitecturedistributesfileownership

acrossallnodesintheclusterfornear-linear

performancescalability.Theresult:reliableand

high-performancefiledataaccessacrossabroad

spectrumofenterpriseapplications,including

mediaapplicationsandunstructureddata.

Q12. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthhastraditionalx86virtualservers,butitisalso

interestedinthecapabilitiesofaprivatecloud.Couldtheybe

combinedorleftseparate?Pleasedescribehowthiscouldbe

accomplishedmosteffectively.

IntegrationwithcloudstorageprovidersNetBackup

integrateswithcloudstorageprovidersviathe

NetBackupConnector,allowingITdepartmentsto

managecloudstorageforbackupandrecoveryas

easilyason-premisestorage,butwithlowercosts

andimprovedflexibility.Organizationscanleverage

thecloudasanewstoragetierorasasecondaryoff-

sitelocationfordisasterrecovery.

Currently,enterprisecustomersarehesitanttomove

tothecloudbecausetheyfeeltheycannotgetthe

comprehensivelevelofdatasecurityprotectionthat

theygetintheirphysicalenvironments.Also,latency,

longbackupwindows,bandwidthcosts,andunmet

RTOobjectives,arebarrierstocloudadoptionfor

largeenterprisesandtheirmainrequirementsfocus

aroundasinglepointofcontrolandauniform


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsemethodformanagingtheprotectionofadiverse

rangeofapplications.Thediversityandcomplexityis

augmentedbythefactthat,now,someofthe

applicationsmayberunninginthecloud.A

NetBackupplatform-basedapproachenables

protectiontobeappliedacrossadiverserangeof

applicationsrunningeitheron-premiseorinthe

cloud.

NetBackupwillensurethatcloudstorage

environmentsareprotectedandapplicationsrunning

inthecloudcanberecoveredinthecaseofadisaster

orcorruption.WhentheNetBackupplatformis

extendedtoprotectacloudstorageenvironment,

customerscanfeelconfidentmovingtheir

applicationstothecloudastheycanrelyontheir

existingNetBackupinfrastructuretoprotecttheir

cloudstorageenvironment.

Q13. Server/Storage HowdoesDatabaseasaServicemakesenseforanEnterpriselikethe

Commonwealth?Doyouhaveanyrecommendationsforhowto

chargeforenhancedDatabaseservices(i.e.,DevelopmentDBA)?

*notpartofourofferings

Q14. Server/Storage TheCommonwealthwantstoprovidecosteffectivesolutionstoVITA

andtheAgencies.Whatdoyoudescribeasthekeycostandvalue

driversthatwouldhelptheCommonwealthofferservicesthatarenot

costprohibitivetodeliver?Doyouseeanyrequirementsinthe

descriptionofservicesinthisRFIthatwouldcostmoretomeetthan

thebusinessvaluetheyprovide?

Norecommendations

Q15. Security TheCommonwealthisinterestedinanEnterpriseKeyManagement

Systemforcomplianceandsecurity.Howdoyouproposethe

CommonwealthrequestKeyManagementservices?

Norecommendations

Q16. MSI IdentityandAccessManagement(IAM)servicesandthesystems *notpartofourofferings


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsesupportingthosefunctionsarecurrentlysplitbetweenmultiple

providers.Howdoyouproposebringingtheseservicestogetherto

provideasingleintegratedservice?

Q17. MSI TheCommonwealthhasdefinedthecross-functionalrequirementsin

Exhibit2.2.Doyouhaveanycommentsinthestructureandhandoffs

identifiedinthisdocument?Doyouhaveanypriorexperience

workingwithMSIs?Doyouhaveanyrecommendationsregardingthe

approachforhowtheMSIshouldinteractwiththeothersuppliers?


Q18. MSI DoyouseeanybenefitsorchallengesinrequiringtheDataCenter

facilityprovidertoalsoberesponsibleforprovidingcommon

operatingmonitoringgroupsinthesamesolution(e.g.,CMOC,ITOC,

SOC,NOC)?


Q19. MSI TheCommonwealthcurrentlyhasasingletraditionalDRsolutionthat

requirestheentirebackupDataCentertobefailedover.Thereisa

desiretomovetoamoreflexiblesolutionthatallowssingleAgencies

orevenapplicationstobefailedoverindividually.Thisprocess

requiresdesign,development,operations,testing,andcoordination.

WhatroleshouldVITA’sMSIshouldplayinthiseffortinrelationwith

theServerServicesprovider?

VITAshouldassistindefiningapplicationavailability

targetsthroughaformalizedbusinessimpact

analysis.Thiswilldescribeonaperservicebasisthe

interdependentapplicationsandassociateddatathat

mustbeavailableataDRfacilitywithinadesignated

periodoftimeandadesignatedamountoftolerable

dataloss.YourMSIcandefinetheservicelevel

agreementsrequiredonaperapplicationbasis.

Veritassolutionsorchestratethosedefinitionsona

perapplicationbasistoautomateDRfailoverwithin

therecoverpointandrecoverytimeobjectivesina

tieredcosteffectivemodelforaspecificserviceor

evenasgranularasanapplication.

Q20. DataCenter TheCommonwealthisinterestedinMulti-siteHighAvailabilityand

DisasterRecoveryServices.Atahigh-level,whatdoyourecommend

onthenumberandlocationsofcentralizedDataCentersthe

Commonwealthshouldutilizeforthatpurpose?Anytradeoffs?

Veritashighlyrecommendsmulti-sitehighavailability

anddisasterrecoveryservices.DependingonVITA’s

Networktopologyandapplication/dataSLAswill

determinethenumberoflocationsrecommendedto


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsemeetthebusinessrequirements.

Veritashasthesolutiontomeettheenterprise

demandofhighavailability,disasterrecoveryand

resiliency.

AlongwiththeInfoScalehighlevelfeaturesstatedin

Q11,VeritasalsooffersVeritasResiliencyPlatform.

Werecognizethatyourbusinessapplicationsare

spreadacrossthestate.Theyrunacross

connectedlayers,eachbuiltusingmulti-vendor

operatingsystems,physicalservers,

virtualizationtechnologies,andclustering

solutions.Somecomponentsmayevenrunin

thecloud.

ResiliencyPlatformprovidesaunifiedand

proactivesolutionformanagingbusiness

resiliencyandmeetingyourRecoveryTime

ObjectivesacrossyourITlandscape.

Yougetthechoiceofusingthein-builtdata

mover,orout-of-theboxsupportforleading

third-partydatamoverstoensureyourcritical

RecoveryPointObjectivesarealwaysmet.

VeritasResiliencyPlatformisbuiltonfour

businessresiliencypillars:predictability,


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseautomation,andcomplianceandflexibility.

• Predictability:Meetcriticalbusiness

ServiceLevelObjectivessuchasRecovery

TimeObjectivesandRecoveryPoint

Objectiveswithsingle-clickrecovery

operations

• Automation:Automaterecoveryrun

booksandstartandstoporchestration

formulti-tierapplications

• Compliance:Becomplianttobusiness

continuitymandateswithauditreports

andnon-disruptiverecoveryrehearsals

• Flexibility:Proactivelymoveapplications

acrosssitesortothecloud

Notonlyarethesefourpillarsstrategictoany

businesscontinuityplans,theabilitytoperform

recoveryrehearsalsrequiringzerodowntimeare

thebestassuranceofmaximumuptime.

VeritasResiliencyPlatformhelpsyoutestyour

businesscontinuitypreparednessbyallowing

disastersimulationssoyourbusinesscontinuity

preparednesscanbereliablytestedwithzero-

downtime.Nocomplicated,manualcleanupsare

requiredandauditreportscanbegeneratedto


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Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsekeepstakeholdersinformed.

Makeresource-intensiveweekenddrillsathing

ofthepastwithzero-downtimerecovery

rehearsalsfromResiliencyPlatform.

Q21. Migration Supplierswillberequiredtoprovideanimplantationplantospecify

howtheywilltakeoverresponsibilityfortheexistingenvironment.

TheCommonwealthisalsointerestedinrecommendationswith

regardtohowtheCommonwealthcouldmigrateortransformtonew

Serviceofferings.Whatdoyourecommendforthismigrationplan?

AtransitionteamfromVeritas,composedofsenior

engineers,wouldworkwiththeprimetoperform

analysis,planningandexecutionleveragingbest

practicestodesignamigrationplan.

Q22. Enhanced

Services

TheCommonwealthisinterestedinreceivingproposalstoinclude

newenhancedservices,(e.g.,Cloud,Analytics,ManagedFileTransfer)

Canyourecommendanyothersuchenhancedservicesthe

Commonwealthshouldalsoconsiderincludingatthemoment?How

wouldyourecommendtheseservicesbedelivered?

Norecommendations

Q23. Enhanced

Services

AsthetechnologylandscapechangesintheCommonwealth’s

environment,couldyoudescribeotherenhancedservicesthatVITA

andVITACustomersshouldconsiderinthefuture?

Norecommendations

Q24. Enhanced

Services

Whatwouldyouproposeasagoodbusinesscaseforvirtualizingthe

desktop(offeringVDI)?


Q25. DataCenter

LAN

Whatdoyourecommendasthebestdemarcationpointbetweenthe

DataCenterLANandtheNetworkorWAN?TheCommonwealth

wantstomakethecleanestscopeseparationforafutureWAN

NetworkRFP.


Q26. DataCenter

LAN

InthecurrentRFI,theCommonwealthhasbundledDataCenterLAN

services(e.g.,switching,routing,loadbalancingandfirewall)with

ServerandStorageservices.Doyoufindanychallenges,issues,or

concernswiththisapproachandwhy?Anyrecommendations?



20

Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseQ27. DataCenter

LAN

TheCommonwealthdidnotbundleDataCenterLANservices(e.g.,

switching,routing,loadbalancingandfirewall)withtheDataCenter

Facilityservices(e.g.,HVAC,power,raisedfloor).Doyoubelievethis

isthecorrectapproach?Doyouhaveanyrecommendations?


Q28. DataCenter

LAN

TheCommonwealthisconsideringdecouplingtheDataCenterFacility

servicesfromtheServer,Storage,andDataCenterLANservices.What

doyouthinkofthisapproach?Whatdoyouthinkaretheadvantages,

disadvantagesandtradeoffsofsplittingthefacilityservicesoutversus

couplingtheseserviceswithServer,Storage,DataCenterLAN?


Q29. DataCenter

LAN

SupplierisexpectedtoprovidecentralizedDataCenterLANservices.

ShouldLANsinnon-centralizedDataCentersbepartofthescopefor

DataCenterLANservicesorbidaspartofNetwork/WANinafuture

procurement?Whatwouldbethepros/consandtradeoffs?


Q30. DataCenter

LAN

IfthesolutionincludesnewDataCenters,whoshouldprovisionand

managethenetworkconnectionsbetweentheDataCenterlocations?

ShoulditbetheNetworkProvider,theDataCenterProviderorthe

Server,Storage,DataCenterLANProvider?


Q31. DataCenter HowdoestheSupplierproposetomigrateServer,Storage,Data

CenterLANservicesoutoftheCESCdatacenterbyJune2019or

earlier?DescribehowtheSupplierwouldseamlesslymigrateoutof

CESClike-for-like,transformtonewservices,oracombinationofthe

two?Whataretherecommendedapproaches?

Norecommendations

Q32. CloudServices

TheCommonwealthisinterestedinasolutionthatintegrates

traditionalhostingserviceswithnewprivate,community,andpublic

cloudofferings.Howdoyouproposeintegratingtheseservices?

Veritasrecognizestheneedforheterogeneityacross

theITlandscape.Withourproducts,weprovideyou

thechoiceandflexibilitytoutilizehostedsolutions,

public/privatecloud,on-premiseorahybridmodel.

Q33. CloudServices WhatwouldbethebestpracticewithregardtoSuppliersowningthe

cloudcontractsandpotentiallytransferringthatcontracttothe

Commonwealth?ShouldtheCommonwealthownthatcontract

outright?Arethereanyotheralternativestobeconsidered?

Norecommendations


21

Ref# Category Question SupplierResponseQ34. CloudServices WhentheCommonwealthbuyscloudservicesofferingshowdoyou

proposetoidentifywherethedataandservicesarelocated?

Norecommendations

Financial/ServerStorage

Q35. Pricing

Structure

TheCommonwealthisinterestedincreatingthebestpossiblepricing

structurefortheServices.Inlightofthatfact,Supplierisinvitedto

bothcommentonthestructuredescribedinExhibit4.1and4.2,and

toproposeanalternatepricingstructureiftheybelievethatitwill

betterservetheinterestsofbothparties.

TheCommonwealthwillcontemplateanyproposedpricingstructure

alongfivedimensions:

1. Predictable:Tothegreatestextentpossible,customers

shouldbeabletoforecastchargesaheadoftime;changes

inpricingthatoccurovertimeshouldnotbeasurprise.

2. Manageable:Thepricingshouldnotbesocomplexthatit

isneedlesslydifficulttoadminister.Ifquantitiesofwork

orequipmentintheenvironmentmustbemeasured,

thenthosequantitiesshouldbeaseasyandtransparent

aspossibletomeasure.

3. Fair:Theservicepricingmustbeareasonableproxyfora

servicesprovider’sunderlyingcostsandshould

adequatelyrecoverthosecosts.Additionally,tothe

extentpossible,thepartythatcausesanyincremental

costshouldbearthatcost.

4. Incentives:Allpricingstructureswillincentivizecertainbehaviorsanddiscourageothers.Thegoalsofthe

sourcingprogrammustbekeptinmindwhenconsidering

thebehaviorsthatmightbedrivenbyapricing

structure.Forexample,agoaltoencourageserver

consolidationmightincludereducedcostatacentralized

Veritasoffersseveraldifferentpossiblepricing

structuresandaddresspricingflexibilitytobest

supporttheCommonwealth’sinterests.

1. Predictability:VeritasManagedServicesoffer

predictablecosts.Ourcostisinclusiveofthe

servicesintheoffering.Forexample,reporting

isincludedintheservice.Arobustlibraryof

reportsareavailableandcustomrequests,

withinreason,areincludedatnoadditional

charge.Ifanothercustomerrequestsareport,

weprovidethesanitizedreportavailabletoall

customers.Ithasbeenourexperienceseveral

competitivevendorsmaychargeforadditional

reportsrequests.Ourpricinghasvolumebased

pricingtiers,providingpredictabilityforgrowth.

2. Manageable:Ourcostisinclusiveofservicesin

theofferingsoitisnotcomplextoadminister.

VeritasManagedServicehasonlyacouple

components:aone-timeactivationchargeper

domainandareoccurringchargebasedon

establishedvolumetiers.Therealtime&

transparentreporting,combinedwithplanning

servicesincludedintheofferingprovidevisibility

&manageabilityofthecostoftheenvironment.

3. Fair:Thereportingfeaturecanhelpprovide

granularity.

4. Incentives:AspartoftheManagedOffering,


22

Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsedatacenter.

5. Flexible:Asconsumptionmovesupanddown,the

chargesshouldalsoadjust.Technologyisanevolving

industry,andtheabilitytoturndownanoldserviceto

turnupanewserviceisoneofthebenefitsofanefficient

ITsourcingagreement.Suchadjustmentsmayinclude

minorvolumechangesmonthtomonth,significantscope

additions,reductions,orterminations,andabilityoflarge

serviceproviderstore-deployinvestments.

VeritasprovidesanAssessment,summaryof

currentstateandbestpractice

recommendationscustomizedtothe

Commonwealth’senvironmentduringthe

ServiceActivationPhase.Onanongoingbasis,

theofferingprovidessemiannualhealthchecks,

andrecommendations.

5. Flexible:Basedonthenegotiatedcontract,

Veritascanworkwithapartnertoaddress

consumptionpricingtobeabletoincorporate

itemslikevolumechanges,scopeadditionsand

otherflexiblepricingrequests.

Q36. Inventoryand

Volume

Collection

TheCommonwealthisinterestedinintroducingnewResourceUnits

thatdonotexistinthecurrentcontract;inordertofairlycompensate

Supplierforservicedelivered,andsupporttheothergoalsdescribed

inquestion36,Supplierisaskedtodescribetheirexperienceand

approachtocollectingandverifyingvolumesbothbeforeandafter

contractsigning,andtheapproachestheyusetoadjustingfinancials

intheeventthattheinitialcountisincorrect.Forexample,today

databasesupportisprovidedbytheSupplier,butisnotseparately

billable.TheCommonwealthseesanadvantagetoseparatingout

databasesupportandmakingitaseparatechargeableunit,how

wouldtheserviceprovidercollectandverifythevolumestosupport

thischargeableunit?

TheReportingwilladdresscollectingandverifying

environment.Thereportingcanbecustomizedto

meetbusinessneedsandrequirements,whichwill

enabledifferentchargebackoptions.Adjustmentsto

thepricingcanbenegotiatedinthecontract.

Q37. Asset

Ownership

TheCommonwealthconsumescertainservicestodaywhichare

underpinnedbyasetofassets(servers,firewalls,etc.).The

Commonwealth(ortheirdesignee)hastherighttoacquirethese

assets.TheCommonwealthhasadesiretoconsumeservices;rather

thanownassets,andenvisionsSupplieracquiringtheseassetsand

usingthemtoprovideservicesbacktothecommonwealth.Please

Veritasdirectlyandthroughourvaluedpartnerships

isworkingtoaddress‘asaService’andconsumption

modelstoconsumeservicesratherthanprocuring

hardware,software&servicesindependently.

Veritashasprocessinplacetoaddresslicense

reassignmentwhereappropriateandaspartofthe


23

Ref# Category Question SupplierResponsedescribeexperiencesacquiringassetsfromanincumbent,andalso

describeyourrecommendfinancialtreatmentoftheircostrecovery

fortheseassets.

contractcannegotiatecostrecoveryorconversionof

traditionalperpetuallicenses.

24


4. FeedbackRegardingRFIDocumentsPleaseusethetablebelowtoprovidecommentaryregardingspecificdocumentsincludedwithinthisRFI,addingrowsasnecessary.Ref# Document/Section SupplierCommentaryC1.

Veritashasnoneatthistime.

C2. C3. C4. C5. C6. C7. C8. C9. C10.