Storage Specialist – Dell PowerMax to IBM VTS Migration at Sabenza IT

Key Responsibilities

Storage Migration Planning & Execution


Assess the current Dell EMC PowerMax (PMAX) storage environment, architecture and workload dependencies.
Lead storage discovery, capacity analysis and migration readiness assessments.
Design migration strategies, implementation plans, detailed runbooks and rollback procedures.
Define migration waves and coordinate testing cycles, dress rehearsals and production cutovers.
Drive migration execution while minimising operational and business disruption.
Ensure data integrity, validation and reconciliation throughout all migration activities.
Identify migration risks, dependencies and potential service impacts and implement appropriate mitigation strategies.
Provide hands-on support during critical production migration windows and hypercare periods.


IBM Virtual Tape System (VTS) Implementation


Configure, administer and support IBM Virtual Tape System (VTS) environments.
Work extensively with IBM TS7700 Series technologies.
Integrate IBM VTS services with z/OS and enterprise backup and recovery platforms.
Manage virtual tape libraries, tape pools, retention policies and archival processes.
Support IBM storage integration and associated Copy Services capabilities.
Optimise virtual tape performance, capacity and resource utilisation.
Ensure stable and efficient post-migration IBM VTS operations.


Mainframe Storage Administration


Support enterprise IBM zSeries / z/OS storage environments.
Manage storage provisioning, allocation and utilisation.
Support DFSMS, SMS Storage Management and HSM processes.
Configure, maintain and troubleshoot FICON connectivity.
Perform storage performance analysis and optimisation.
Support storage replication, recovery and disaster recovery services.
Work closely with Mainframe Systems Programmers, Infrastructure teams and Storage Operations teams.


Performance & Capacity Management


Monitor enterprise storage utilisation and identify capacity trends.
Forecast future storage requirements and support capacity planning initiatives.
Monitor storage KPIs, availability targets and SLAs.
Investigate storage bottlenecks and implement performance optimisation initiatives.
Analyse workload patterns and resource consumption.
Produce performance dashboards, capacity reports and operational insights.
Support continuous improvement across enterprise storage services.


Disaster Recovery & Resilience


Support storage replication and failover strategies.
Work with technologies such as SRDF/A and SRDF/S to support resilient storage services.
Participate in Disaster Recovery testing, failover exercises and recovery simulations.
Validate that storage solutions meet agreed RTO and RPO requirements.
Support business continuity planning and recovery procedures.
Maintain accurate DR, recovery and resilience documentation.
Identify opportunities to strengthen storage availability and operational resilience.


Governance, Compliance & Documentation


Develop and maintain storage architecture diagrams and technical designs.
Create detailed migration runbooks, operational procedures and rollback plans.
Maintain accurate configuration management and infrastructure records.
Support audit, regulatory and compliance requirements.
Ensure adherence to enterprise security and operational standards.
Facilitate knowledge transfer and operational handover to support teams.
Produce clear documentation to support sustainable post-migration operations.


Requirements

Strong hands-on experience with:


Dell EMC PowerMax (PMAX)
Unisphere for PowerMax
SRDF/A
SRDF/S
SnapVX
Storage replication technologies
Enterprise SAN administration
Storage performance and capacity management


IBM Storage Technologies

Experience with:


IBM Virtual Tape System (VTS)
IBM TS7700 Series
IBM DS8000 Storage
IBM Storage Insights
IBM Copy Services
GDPS integration exposure
Enterprise backup, recovery and archival environments


Mainframe Technologies

Strong understanding of:


IBM z/OS
JCL
DFSMS
SMS Storage Management
HSM
FICON architecture
RACF awareness
Mainframe storage operations and workload management


Data Protection & Recovery

Experience in:


Enterprise backup and recovery technologies
Storage replication
Disaster recovery planning and execution
Failover and recovery procedures
Business continuity processes
RTO and RPO management


Monitoring & Operations

Exposure to enterprise monitoring and performance tools such as:


OMEGAMON
RMF
MainView
Enterprise infrastructure and storage monitoring platforms


Essential Experience


8+ years' experience in Enterprise Storage Administration.
5+ years' experience supporting IBM Mainframe environments.
Proven hands-on experience with Dell EMC PowerMax (PMAX).
Strong experience with IBM TS7700 / IBM VTS platforms.
Proven experience delivering or supporting large-scale storage migrations.
Experience with enterprise production cutovers and migration execution.
Strong knowledge of storage replication and disaster recovery technologies.
Experience supporting critical, high-availability enterprise environments.
Strong troubleshooting, analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
Ability to work across technical, operational and business stakeholders.


Highly Advantageous


Experience within Banking, Financial Services or another highly regulated industry.
Experience with mission-critical Mainframe transformation programmes.
Exposure to IBM DS8000 environments.
GDPS experience or integration exposure.
Experience working within complex enterprise Data Centres.
Previous experience leading migration workstreams or technical cutovers.


Desired Certifications

The following certifications or equivalent experience will be advantageous:


Dell Technologies Proven Professional Certification
IBM Certified Storage Administrator
IBM z/OS or Mainframe-related Certifications
ITIL Foundation
TOGAF (desirable)