Predictika · managed storage service quotes

An AI sales agent's managed storage quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a monthly quote for the monitoring or management of a NetApp, Pure Storage or Dell storage estate, with an optional Storage-as-a-Service package. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the public Proact G-Cloud price list and service definition and returns a verdict, every reason and the monthly total it computed.

Scope: Proact monitoring and management quotes for NetApp, Pure Storage and Dell estates, with optional Storage-as-a-Service packages, options, prerequisites and the stated monthly total. See everything this validator covers

This validator models monthly quotes for Proact managed storage services, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Service tiers and charges — Monitoring (Standard Storage Operations) or Service Management (Premium Storage Operations), each with its standing charge and per-site, per-volume, per-controller, per-switch and per-drive monthly charges, plus the monthly base charge.
  • Options and prerequisites — under Service Management the Data Protection, NAS, SAN, object (S3) and Switches options must be selected when the controllers do that work and out-of-band console access must exist; Monitoring needs a static public IPv4 address; every device needs Proact, vendor or third-party hardware support; at least one site and one controller are required.
  • Storage-as-a-Service packages — the NetApp, Pure Storage and Dell packages in the price list, which must match the vendor of the estate and are priced for a 12-month term only.
  • Stated total and discounts — the monthly total the quote states is compared with the computed one, and a volume discount request goes to a person for approval.

Any monthly quote for these services is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: storage vendors outside the NetApp, Pure Storage and Dell price list, packages and prices not in the published G-Cloud documents, VAT and implementation charges, and buyer-specific discounted prices, which come from a Proact account manager. Prices are the published list prices in pounds sterling per month, excluding VAT.

The AI sales agentBuilds the monthly managed storage quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
Click to expand
    
Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Service options that are mandatory only when the controllers do that work (replication, SAN, NAS, switches)Only with care
A product rule per option, each written against a flag on the estate; it works, but every option and tier adds another rule to maintain.		The estate facts and the selected options travel in one request and every option is checked together.
A package from a different storage vendor, or priced for a different termOnly with workarounds
The package belongs to a vendor named elsewhere on the quote, and its price holds for one term only, so it needs a rule that links two lines and a term.		The package, the vendor and the term are checked against each other on every call.
A stated monthly total that leaves out the package or is a pound shortOnly with workarounds
A free-entry total has to be compared with a sum of per-item charges that change with tier, sites, volumes, controllers, switches and drives, and the stated total is rarely a field on the quote.		The stated total travels with the quote and is compared with the computed total on every call, to the penny.
Prerequisites that differ by tier (a static IP for Monitoring, console access for Management)Only with care
Two tier-specific rules; reliable only if the tier is always chosen first.		The tier-specific prerequisites are checked whatever order the choices arrive in.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
Click to expand
    
Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The public Proact price list covers NetApp, Pure Storage and Dell storage; a storage estate from another vendor has no published price.
2The quote has 2 site(s) and 0 controller(s); the service needs at least one site and one storage controller, because the controller option is mandatory.
3The quote has 0 site(s) and 4 controller(s); the service needs at least one site and one storage controller, because the controller option is mandatory.
4The controllers are in a replication relationship or drive backups, so the Data Protection option has to be selected.
5The controllers perform NAS file serving, so the NAS option has to be selected.
6The controllers perform SAN block activities, so the SAN option has to be selected.
7The controllers perform object activities, so the object (S3) option has to be selected.
84 storage or SAN switch(es) connect to the controllers, so the Switches option has to be selected.
9A device that is not covered by Proact Premium Support must have vendor support or a third-party break-fix contract; the quote has neither.
10Monitoring requires an external public static IPv4 address at the customer site; dynamic addressing is not supported.
11Service Management requires out-of-band console access to every physical device under management, tested as working before the service starts.
12The Storage-as-a-Service package belongs to a different storage vendor than the estate being managed.
13The Storage-as-a-Service package prices are published for a 12-month term only; the quote asks for 24 months.
14The quote states a monthly total of £1,201.20, but the quoted lines come to £46,690.61.
15The quote states a monthly total of £3,616.64, but the quoted lines come to £3,617.64.
16A volume discount has been requested; the price list says discounts are agreed through the Proact account manager, so a person should confirm the price.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
Click to expand
    
The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Options and console access: A Pure Storage estate under full Service Management with options and console access left out

    
The agent's request. Please quote Service Management of a Pure Storage estate with 3 sites, 6 controllers, 600 volumes or LUNs and 144 drives, 6 switches, covered by Proact Premium Support, with the NAS and SAN options, without out-of-band console access. The quote states a monthly total of £2,144.92. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Data Protection option missing. The controllers are in a replication relationship or drive backups, so the Data Protection option has to be selected.
    • 
      
  • Switches option missing. 6 storage or SAN switch(es) connect to the controllers, so the Switches option has to be selected.
    • 
      
  • Out-of-band console access missing. Service Management requires out-of-band console access to every physical device under management, tested as working before the service starts.
    • 
      
  • Stated monthly total differs from the computed total. The quote states a monthly total of £2,144.92, but the quoted lines come to £5,949.41.
    • 
    

    
2. Options and console access: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote Service Management of a Pure Storage estate with 3 sites, 6 controllers, 600 volumes or LUNs and 144 drives, 6 switches, covered by Proact Premium Support, with the Data Protection, NAS, SAN and Switches options, with out-of-band console access. The quote states a monthly total of £5,949.41. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Management and monitoring base £65.94, service standing charge £589.16, per-item charges £5,294.31; total £5,949.41 per month, excluding VAT and implementation.
    • 
    

    
3. Package, support and total: A NetApp 500 TiB package on a 24-month term with no support contract

    
The agent's request. Please quote Monitoring of a NetApp estate with 2 sites, 4 controllers, 300 volumes or LUNs and 96 drives, with no hardware support contract, with the NetApp 500 TiB Storage-as-a-Service package on a 24-month term, on a dynamic public IP address. The quote states a monthly total of £1,201.20. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Hardware support contract missing. A device that is not covered by Proact Premium Support must have vendor support or a third-party break-fix contract; the quote has neither.
    • 
      
  • Monitoring needs a static public IPv4 address. Monitoring requires an external public static IPv4 address at the customer site; dynamic addressing is not supported.
    • 
      
  • Package price is for a 12-month term. The Storage-as-a-Service package prices are published for a 12-month term only; the quote asks for 24 months.
    • 
      
  • Stated monthly total differs from the computed total. The quote states a monthly total of £1,201.20, but the quoted lines come to £46,690.61.
    • 
    

    
4. Package, support and total: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote Monitoring of a NetApp estate with 2 sites, 4 controllers, 300 volumes or LUNs and 96 drives, covered by Proact Premium Support, with the NetApp 500 TiB Storage-as-a-Service package on a 12-month term, on a static public IP address. The quote states a monthly total of £46,690.61. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Management and monitoring base £65.94, service standing charge £302.14, per-item charges £833.12, Storage-as-a-Service package £45,489.41; total £46,690.61 per month, excluding VAT and implementation.
    • 
    

    
5. Volume discount: A Dell estate under Service Management with a discount request and no SAN option

    
The agent's request. Please quote Service Management of a Dell estate with 2 sites, 4 controllers, 400 volumes or LUNs and 120 drives, 4 switches, covered by Proact Premium Support, with the Data Protection and Switches options, with out-of-band console access, and a volume discount requested. The quote states a monthly total of £4,187.28. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • SAN option missing. The controllers perform SAN block activities, so the SAN option has to be selected.
    • 
      
  • Volume discount requested. A volume discount has been requested; the price list says discounts are agreed through the Proact account manager, so a person should confirm the price.
    • 
    

    
6. Volume discount: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote Service Management of a Dell estate with 2 sites, 4 controllers, 400 volumes or LUNs and 120 drives, 4 switches, covered by Proact Premium Support, with the Data Protection, SAN and Switches options, with out-of-band console access, and a volume discount requested. The quote states a monthly total of £4,187.28. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Volume discount requested. A volume discount has been requested; the price list says discounts are agreed through the Proact account manager, so a person should confirm the price.
    • 
      
  • Quote summary. Management and monitoring base £65.94, service standing charge £589.16, per-item charges £3,532.18; total £4,187.28 per month, excluding VAT and implementation.
    • 
    

  

  

    
Narration transcript
Click to expand
    
The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a monthly quote for the monitoring or management of a NetApp, Pure Storage or Dell storage estate, with an optional Storage-as-a-Service package. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the public Proact G-Cloud price list and service definition and returns a verdict, every reason and the monthly total it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote Service Management of a Pure Storage estate with 3 sites, 6 controllers, 600 volumes or LUNs and 144 drives. The quote states a monthly total of £2,144.92. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with four findings, all in one answer. The controllers are in a replication relationship or drive backups, so the Data Protection option has to be selected. 6 storage or SAN switch(es) connect to the controllers, so the Switches option has to be selected. Service Management requires out-of-band console access to every physical device under management, tested as working before the service starts. The other one is on screen.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned four blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other and against the stated total.
    7. 
      
  7. What this shows: for a stated monthly total that leaves out the package or is a pound short, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
    8. 
      
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
    9. 
      
  9. The corrected request. It changes the out-of-band console access to yes and the stated monthly total to £5,949.41. It sets the Data Protection option to yes and the switches option to yes.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
    11. 
      
  11. This time the validator clears it.
    12. 
      
  12. All four earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's total, £5,949.41, matches the quote.
    13. 
      
  13. Four problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean £5,949.41 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.