SNIA Creates Supported Solutions Forum

The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) has created a Supported Solutions Forum (SSF), which is an alliance of SNIA member companies that promotes adoption of open system storage networking solutions by encouraging vendors to work together to deliver mutually-supported, interoperable solutions.

The SSF helps SNIA members improve storage networking interoperability via solutions jointly developed, qualified and supported by Forum members to provide a streamlined customer-support process for the end-user company. To optimize communications among SSF members, SNIA uses the support process of TSANet (Technical Support Alliance Network), a worldwide alliance that offers an infrastructure for more efficient multi-vendor problem solving for customers. TSANet’s membership comprises more than 100 software and hardware companies, including MTI.

“The customer benefits most from the SSF because the vendors resolve the issues among themselves, instead of pointing the finger of blame at one another,” said Phil Ruff, MTI Technology, an SSF member, vice president of engineering. “As a long- time member of SNIA and a company committed to interoperability, MTI looks forward to working within the Supported Solutions Forum.”

The SSF supports the qualification of multi-vendor storage networking solutions and, as part of its mission, requires storage vendors to maintain cooperative support relationships that provide the highest possible level of support for customers. For example, under an addendum to TSANet’s International Code of Conduct, SSF members must follow collaboration and response-time guidelines to resolve customer problems on a 24/7 basis, worldwide.