Well, right now there's NO budget for anything... But I do have a certain spending authority, but I choose to ask my boss for anything over around $100 or so.
From: Jonathan Link [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 1:27 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: ASA power supply Do you formulate an annual budget or just take things as they come? I ask, because my budget includes a contingency and amounts below $500 I have authority to just take care of without involving my boss. Your situation may be different, but it's something to push for if you want to grow within your org. On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 1:02 PM, John Aldrich <[email protected]> wrote: Heh… ☺ No, I think in this case, he actually means "ask me again in 3-4 months." From: Steven Peck [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 11:46 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: ASA power supply He's saying 'not right now' in the hopes that you will forget to ask him later and when it goes out he will say "You were supposed to remind me" On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 8:04 AM, John Aldrich <[email protected]> wrote: Yeah. I talked with my boss about getting a second "spare" power supply. He agrees it is probably a good idea, but says right now, we just get one. He does like the idea, so he's not saying "no," he's saying "not right now." :D From: Bob Fronk [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 11:01 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: ASA power supply My CDW rep will almost always beat any price I can find someplace else. Dell as well. . Of course, we spend hundreds of thousands with each of them every year. I agree with Link, pick a vendor or two and get a good relationship going. If they are a little high on something, let them know it. If they can’t budge, get them to help out on something the next time, but buy it anyway. Many times you can at least get free overnight shipping thrown in. If the vendor thinks you are apt to just run off and get the lowest cost item from another vendor, they are not going to spend much time trying to work up a quote and help you out. Also, buy TWO power supplies for your ASA and keep the other nearby. A mission critical piece of equipment like that should either have all the parts available, a second like item on a shelf ready for service, or a 4 hour service agreement. BF From: Jonathan Link [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 10:48 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: ASA power supply Here's a rubric for all your future buying decisions. Take cost of a good quality/known vendor that you have a relationship with. Subtract the lowest price you can find buy typically googling around. If that result is less than the cost of downtime, great, buy from the preferred vendor. If that amount is greater than the cost of downtime, buy from the preferred vendor. In other words, I'm of the mind that having a good relationship with a quality vendor is worth more than trying to squeeze pennies and deal with unknowns. I have good relationship with my Dell and CDW reps. I typically review those options first, give alternatives a cursory glance, and then proceed with Dell and CDW. There are times I've been able to indicate to my rep I can get a better deal elsewhere, and I can wring a concession out of them. You can't do that unless you build a relationship. In the long run, the business runs more efficiently, which equals more $$$. On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 10:38 AM, John Aldrich <[email protected]> wrote: The power supply in our ASA died overnight. Management doesn't believe in SmartNet, so I'm having to replace the power supply myself. Having verified that the power supply is, in fact dead, I'm looking for a replacement. The ONLY big reseller I have been able to verify that sells these is CDW. I'd like to have some options. I did use Froogle, but most of the folks there are "noname" or ebay vendors... That's not necessarily something I"d want to buy off ebay. :-) Wondering if any of you have a preferred vendor for something like this? I'll continue searching the web while waiting for a response. 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