VANTAGE Storage Intelligence Reviews

Not writing a solution here, the SRM product is a mainframe product that CA's client user interface software, Vantage, can then interact with. They have three flavors for a client interface, desktop (but everything you do is yours alone, nobody else gets anything you build within it), and server, which is much nicer as it allows for changes to be global in anything you build, such as customized solutions, views, etc. You can build the company's alerts, scripts, reports, etc. 

The newest and really nice feature is the browser version or WebUI. I'm still putting this in place, and there is quite a bit to do. Once SRM has been updated to include all maintenance right up to Dec/18, then it's a UNIX/OMVS install with knowledge of those disciplines and Tomcat, Catalina, etc. It does not rely on SMP/E any longer (Vantage). It has a database kept within a ZFS file and uses TCP/IP to talk among the mainframe systems. Because it is a browser interface, you will want to ensure you use shttp:// for the security within the browser. You will need to deal with the license within OMVS and the certificate either there, or as we are, via your security product — RACF for us.

Furthermore, there is the ability to utilize, and you will want to, the REST API, which will allow you to update MF files within/via the WebUI. That demands Common Services be used, so keep that in mind. All in all, once you have it put in place, maintenance will be much easier I'm sure. As with all CA products now, it uses a PAX file. The interface offers so much, with it being a true 'Windows' experience!

By utilizing alerts, trends, reporting. Really anything you can think of, as this has all the data, so what do you wish to do with it.

Too much to get in to. It offers so much it is really something to look at and see all the ways you can utilize the information/automation.

• The install is complicated. From the PAX file, UNIX, OMVS, it is all changing. SMP/E is a side thing now. 
• Simple skills. The new world will demand you know UNIX/OMVS, and how it all works on your mainframe.

Very stable once you get everything up to date.

CA is committed to making this fit for a long time coming.

CA's support has been perfect. They help with anything you wish and right away.

No.

Complex! Unless you know the process using PAX and know a lot about UNIX and OMVS.

No. Just myself, and support helped when I reached out.

Not involved in this, but the return is major if you put in the work to utilize its abilities.

Talk to your vendor rep.

No. I've been around Vantage since it began.

Read up on it all. It involves a lot of things!

The most valuable features are monitoring, trending and automation.

As a storage administrator, it has helped me to control my storage capacity and keep it clean in terms of both data and storage.

It allows us not to purchase storage as aggressively as we used to; this has helped our organization.

There are many things that they need to improve. It is a work-in-progress product. As and when we find issues, we contact their support team and they are always quick to react.

It is based on the Windows Server that creates data on the mainframe side. I would like the data on the mainframe side to be compressed and extended.

It is stable enough although it is still a work-in-progress product.

They are in the process on making it a web-based product and I see a lot of challenges there, so I don't know how scalable it is.

I thought that it wasn't as scalable as it is. In the beginning, I had to install it on a Windows Server. Initially, I thought I couldn't put it on a virtual server. However, I have heard of someone who did it and according to them it works just fine.

The technical support team is outstanding. I would give them a 10/10 rating.

Previously, we didn't have a vendor; we had in-house processes and decided to move away from them. We wanted a third-party product so that if we need help, we can get the help we need.

They had 2 different products - one you pay for and the other you don't. We used the free one in the beginning and because we are a main CA customer we found out that we could have the entire product for free; we didn't have to pay for it. Since then, we have been using it and noticed a lot of buyback, as far as storage and data are concerned.

I was involved in the initial setup process. At that time, it wasn't as intuitive but it was easy to set-up.

If you are looking for a similar storage management solution, I would advise you to go get this product soon.

It's a very good product, but needs some enhancements.

Technical support is the most important criteria while selecting a vendor. They must be quick to respond; if not, it's not for us.

The most valuable features are recording, treading, and automation because they help me support the system. I have many systems and being able to find out information that I can use instantaneously is a big help. Doing my job with a click on a button -- you can't put price on that.

And it also helped me with automation because I can automate stuff so that I don't have to wake up in the middle of the night to do something. It's a big deal.

Also, the recording piece gives us a view of how we're using storage. Are we lean and mean? Or are we just lackadaisical and wasting stuff? We were able to salvage terabytes of space that we utilized somewhere else.

It just helps us fix problems before they happen and then you work on them after. If somebody does not put the right space parameter, we let the job run and then we fix it after. If somebody does not optimize a data set, we run our reports after talking to these people without ever having an event wasting CPU cycles.

One of the best products I have used so far is CA Vantage because of the stuff that we were able to find out. I've always laughed at my bosses or management, when they always want cutesy charts, stuff like that, because to me it's not about that. If there is a problem, I work on it and move on.

But I drank the Kool-Aid and I was able to, using those same charts that they asked for, see a picture of where I am wasting resources. Whether it was data allocation or HSM failures and all this stuff. I get all these reports on a daily basis at the click of a button, and I can go ahead and fix those issues. The good thing about this is you can share this with your coworkers, your group.

My group is made up of six people. All 6 people can look at the same screen and and they are all looking at the same thing and because we're all storage management and we have the same mentality. We know what needs to be done to fix those errors.

It reads data that I create on the mainframe so, we have a Windows client that through TCP/IP connects to the host on the mainframe and it creates all its data on the mainframe. I would like that data to be created in an efficient way, compressed, or whatever they have to do. That is the main problem they need to fix.

Five years ago, yes. As a matter of fact there were too many bugs. Probably, I think because the user communities did not know what they had at the time. We saw the potential from day one and we started using it and there were bugs here and there, but CA was gracious enough to set aside two people to work with us around the clock. It made it the product that it is today -- a beautiful thing I recommend to anyone.

Vantage has two pieces. There is a part host side and there is the other part on the Windows side. There are no problems that I see on the mainframe side. The Windows piece is just because I am not an open system-type person. I don't know too much about Windows and I need hand holding here and there.

CA Vantage I have used for years. I've had very few issues and the issues I had were rectified immediately within a few days days, some of them within minutes.

I actually meet with CA Vantage developers once a week for an hour, discussing the product and where it's headed. So we do engage with them not only when we have issues, but where we see potential to tell them, why don't you guys do this, and they might just take it from us.

I installed this product, remember it had flaws in the beginning. It's improved since, but I'd only give it a 5/10 in terms of straightforwardness.

Absolutely get it. It could trend your stuff, it could automate. You name it, the product can do it. The sky's the limit and if you can't do it yourself, the support is outstanding, they are willing to listen, they will work with you and they get you there.