Testing data storage products for performance insights.
Ideally, storage product vendors want to perform benchmark testing under real-world conditions using typical workloads and platforms. This provides the data needed to identify issues, improve functions, validate claims, and prepare the products for certification.
Pragmatically, this is not always possible, as not every vendor has the time, equipment, expertise or manpower to conduct benchmark tests in their own environment.
For the latter situation, there is an alternative to real-world testing called synthetic benchmark testing. This approach simulates real-world conditions using synthetic workload generators to measure storage system performance.
However, not every synthetic tester is created equal, and perhaps this is the reason why there are opponents of this approach.
For Vedams, which conducts storage product testing at its own lab, synthetic tests are a fact of life. Many vendors simply do not have the machine capacity or workforce to dedicate to hours of benchmark processes.
Most recently, the Vedams team applied the Fio (Flexible IO) workload generator to a client’s benchmark storage testing project. This particular tester stands out from other synthetic benchmarks in that it has the ability to run nearly identical workloads on different operating environments. It is less limited than other synthetic tests, which helps Vedams provide clients with more valuable insights in far less time.
Overall, we believe that synthetic benchmark testing is the right call when storage product vendors lack the resources to do the testing on their own or when a hybrid approach (real-world and synthetic) is determined to provide the most complete results.
Vedams was able to bring the necessary expertise and resources to meet our business objectives. What I like the most is its flexibility in their business model to meet our needs.
Our partnership with Vedams has been highly successful. The Vedams team is extremely productive and dedicated to ensuring success. Their willingness to go above and beyond has resulted in consistently meeting schedules with high quality releases despite several challenges that needed to be overcome.
They conduct their work and business relationship with the highest degree of honesty and integrity.
Vedams is a highly valuable addition to Xyratex’s own global product test organization. With product availability and reliability requirements being key differentiators for Xyratex in its markets, the need for exhaustive, rigorous and in-depth functional testing is critical.
The knowledge required to perform at this level, being very data storage focused, is not easily obtained but I have been impressed by the way these skills have been cultivated and the low levels of staff turnover.
Vedams was able to bring the necessary expertise and resources to meet our business objectives. What I like the most is its flexibility in their business model to meet our needs.
Vedams’s global delivery model is strongly supported by their onshore project management. Because of the seamless communication maintained by the local project managers, we were able to keep our customer’s aggressive schedules on time and on budget.