UK firms opt for storage quick-fix

Research from Quantum suggests downturn could be discouraging UK firms from taking long-term approach to storage

The recession is prompting UK firms to purchase storage for short-term fixes instead of investing for the future, according to vendor Quantum.

According to research conducted by the backup vendor more than half of the 109 resellers surveyed claim they have seen an attitude change in their customers when justifying the use of technology in their business.

Steve Mackey, area sales director for Northern Europe at Quantum, said: “In today's economic climate, organisations must have a rigorous backup and recovery plan in place in order to justify technology investments.

“Thinking long-term is of utmost importance and enables a cost-effective and future-proofed strategy to be implemented. It is vital that future requirements for capacity and performance are taken into account.”

He advised that resellers and vendors take a consultative approach to addressing their customers' needs, by adding value and guiding them through this difficult period.

Resellers also indicated that customers are taking longer to make purchase decisions, with 39 per cent claiming they have seen projects postponed or cancelled.

However, 24 per cent said their businesses had not been affected at all.

Damon Robertson, sales director at reseller Coolspirit, said: “The increase in the amount of data will not slow in the current economic climate and organisations will still need to address backup and recovery.

“It is up to resellers to provide the right advice and products for each different customer, be it disk, tape or software, so they can get the maximum return on their investments.”