Recommendations for a Successful Trial

Summary:

The document titled "i.R.O.C.K.: Recommendations for a Successful Trial" provides practical advice on conducting successful Proof of Concept (POC) trials in the technology industry, particularly for vendors competing against Q1 Labs. Key recommendations include gathering detailed information about use cases, event feeds, EPS (estimated price sensitivity), and negotiating success criteria before starting a POC. It advises requesting to be the last vendor to trial, ensuring necessary paperwork is in place, and having an SE specialist available during trials. The ideal POC duration is usually 4 or 5 days, with an emphasis on proving concepts rather than setting up production environments. Alternative approaches like corporate visits and reference customer visits are suggested if a full POC isn't feasible. The document outlines a structured process for conducting POC trials at companies such as Lincoln Financial and CVS, including initial notification to the SE manager, approval request, evaluation agreement completion, form filling, VP approval, and configuration and shipment of necessary hardware. Each step in this process is crucial for coordination across departments, legal compliance, and preparation for successful trials. Overall, this document serves as a guide to streamline POC trials, ensuring they are effective and efficient while setting the stage for potential deals or partnerships.

Details:

"i.R.O.C.K.: Recommendations for a Successful Trial" is a document aimed at streamlining the trial process and increasing the chances of winning deals, tailored for both senior professionals and newcomers to the field. It suggests gathering information about use cases, event feeds, EPS (estimated price sensitivity), and negotiating success criteria before starting a proof of concept (POC). The document advises requesting to be the last vendor to trial, allowing other vendors to resolve their issues first, especially with ArcSight where an SE specialist can help manage configuration problems. It also emphasizes performing the POC on the company's hardware and using recommended procedures for data wiping from returned appliances. When dealing with customer equipment, it's important to have an SE trial specialist available due to potential configuration issues. The ideal POC duration is usually 4 or 5 days; longer ones are costly and may lead to technical difficulties as focus can wane and paperwork increases. Instead of a full POC, consider alternatives such as corporate visits, reference customer visits, laptop POCs, and custom demos if possible. Laptop trials might be suitable for brief evaluations lasting 1-2 days but are less effective in competitive situations or where other vendors are conducting full POCs. Limit the number of connectors used during POCs to around 5, focusing on proving concepts rather than setting up production environments. Always ensure that all necessary paperwork and approvals are in place before committing to a POC start date. The document outlines a new POC trial process specifically designed to compete against Q1 Labs in the Americas commercial business, considering their minimal penetration in Federal and EMEA, as well as APAC. To counteract Q1 Labs' selling points of simplicity and flow, the strategy focuses on immediately setting high standards by incorporating privileged user monitoring (50 users) and threat detector use cases. To implement this approach, a second SE is assigned for the first three days of the POC to assist with troubleshooting and develop IDView skills. The lead SE will be responsible for setting up IDView while seeking support when necessary from the supporting SE. This strategy requires more preparation work by the lead SE to ensure that the prospect is well-prepared, and it will be utilized until resource constraints are addressed. The text outlines a structured process for conducting Proof of Concept (POC) trials, which involves several key steps to ensure successful execution at companies like Lincoln Financial and CVS. Here's an overview of each step in the trial process: 1. **Initial Notification**: When it is determined that a POC will be necessary, inform your SE manager via email with details about the POC. This helps them track the request within the Salesforce (SF) system. 2. **Trial Approval Request**: Schedule a tentative start date and send an email to your assigned SE (Sales Engineer), providing essential information such as tentative dates, type of operating system for ESM server imaging, delivery contact details, and if an SE specialist is needed. 3. **Evaluation Agreement**: Ensure that the legal team has counter-signed the evaluation agreement. This document confirms the terms under which the trial will proceed. 4. **POC Request Form**: Complete a form requesting a POC with specific information about required delivery date, server imaging preferences (Windows 2003 or Red Hat Linux), and contact details for delivery. Also indicate if an SE specialist is needed to assist in the POC. 5. **VP Approval**: Confirm that your VP of GEO has approved the trial. This approval ensures senior management support for the project's continuation. 6. **POC Approval**: The SE manager reviews the POC request form to ensure it is complete and within a reasonable scope. They also check with Ron (presumably someone responsible for hardware allocation) if sufficient resources are available. Upon satisfaction, they email TrialADMIN requesting approval to proceed. 7. **Configuration and Shipment**:

• Confirm that legal has the signed Evaluation agreement and update SF.com accordingly.

• Create necessary license keys.

• Configure and ship any required servers for the POC. ESM Server imaging and shipment are managed by local contacts.

Each step is crucial to ensure smooth coordination across departments, compliance with legal agreements, and adequate preparation for a successful trial at Lincoln Financial and CVS. This is a process document outlining the steps to be taken for conducting a Proof of Concept (POC) trial with a prospect, involving hardware and appliances from ArcSight, including details such as appliance serial numbers, POC server contacts, and procedures for returning the equipment after the trial concludes. It includes specific instructions regarding the return of servers and appliances back to the manufacturer, not ArcSight. The document also highlights the technical skills of one of the trial specialists, Ron Beck, in various areas related to the ESM (Event Stream Manager), FlexConnectors, Connector Appliance, performance testing, and support. Additionally, it provides information on a disk wiping application used for wiping out Logger/ESM after the POC is complete. This is a list of documents and actions related to "PoC" (Proof of Concept) processes, which are typically used in various scenarios like document editing, version management, sharing, and notifications. The list includes titles such as "Process: Canadian PoC Shipments," "POC Process.pptx," and "Presentation of Results - ESM." These documents likely pertain to trial processes, documentation practices, or IT security procedures related to a proof of concept scenario.

Disclaimer:

The content in this post is for informational and educational purposes only. It may reference technologies, configurations, or products that are outdated or no longer supported. If there are any comments or feedback, kindly leave a message and will be responded.