Setup Guide

The onboarding process that is shown below is the same whether you are designing a new offer or expanding an existing offer.
Figure 1. APEX Data Storage Services onboarding process
Design solution
If you are new to APEX Data Storage Services, contact your Dell Technologies sales team to work with your IT architects
to design or expand the solution to meet your business needs. If you are familiar with APEX Data Storage Services, your IT
architects may choose to define the solution themselves
Defining a solution is the process of matching your business needs to the offer, including:
● Type of storage (block or file).
● The Performance tier (Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3). The tier is based on throughput or Ops/sec for File Services and throughput
or IOPS for Block services.
● Base capacity (minimum of 50 TB plus a 25% buffer to support on-demand capacity).
● Subscription term (1 or 3 years).
Your Dell Technologies sales team works through the details with your IT architects as required. If this is your first engagement
on an APEX as-a-Service offer, your sales representative onboards you to the APEX Console. You use the APEX Console to
order and operate APEX Data Storage Services.
There is no cost to use the APEX Console, however you must go through an onboarding process to gain access. Your Dell
Technologies sales representative helps activate your Dell.com user login and create an Organization in the APEX Console
for your company account. Only customers with an activated Dell customer account who have already ordered, or who are
intending to order an APEX as-a-Service offer can use APEX Console.
To have your company account set up, provide the name and email address of the employee who will serve as the administrator
for the organization. The administrator role includes onboarding other employees who can then access the APEX Console at
https://console.delltechnologies.com.
The sales representative also reviews the APEX Data Storage Services Pre-qualification Checklist with you. The checklist
identifies requirements such as VPNs, Active Directory, site requirements, and other facility specifications to ensure that the
deployment goes smoothly.
Draft order
When you create a draft order, APEX Console displays the price for your offer. Your Dell Technologies sales representative
may assist you with the draft order. You can discuss any questions about the solution design or the pricing with your Dell
Technologies sales representative.
You receive a copy of the Agreement with site connection design and requirements to review your networking and security
teams before you proceed with the order.
Submit order
Submitting your order using the APEX Console triggers the Dell factory to begin staging the offer.
Pre-deployment planning
When you are certain that you want to proceed with your order, a Dell Technologies deployment project manager schedules
a pre-deployment planning meeting with a deployment planning engineer. The planning engineer works with your IT staff to
complete the design by adding details specific to your data center. The engineer also confirms changes that are required, such
as opening ports.
Introduction
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