[PLUG-TALK] Open lab for evaluating hardware?

[Richard Powell]

Hello,

I'm curious.  Is anyone aware of a place where a person could
evaluate/test mainstream systems/products prior to purchasing them?

Specifically, I've been working with various software and hardware in
recent years, including VMware vSphere, VMware View, Netgear ReadyNAS,
Cisco small business switches.

I'm to a point where the ReadyNAS is just not cutting it for my
environment.  I'm looking into higher performing NAS solutions.  I'm
looking at Drobo and NetApp products as possibilities.  Additionally, I
want to ensure I have options for growth and change.  So I want to see how
these devices work with both VMware and OpenStack components.

As a small business owner, I don't have a test lab or a huge budget.  If I
purchase either of these products, I've blown my NAS budget for the
foreseeable future.  It sure would make sense to get into a lab and test
these devices for my particular situation to see how they perform.  It
would make even more sense if I could plug one into my network and throw
some very specific uses at it to see how it works in my situation.

I can read reviews and other peoples test results until I'm blue in the
face.  But as I've found, this is no guarantee the product(s) will work
for me in the same way it did for others.  My network or use will be
different in some key way.

It seems there should be some organization or open lab where people can
borrow devices from vendors to give them a real test drive.  I would
expect nothing less if I was spending more than $10,000 on an automobile. 
Why can't I have the same thing when purchasing hardware that is more than
$10,000, and especially more than $20,000?

Anyone have idea's or thoughts on this?
Richard