What is Total Cost of Ownership?

Total cost of ownership (TCO) is the total cost of a computer asset throughout its lifecycle, from acquisition cost, management and upgrading by technical staff and finally to its disposal.

Thin clients cost 35% to 65% less per year to manage and operate than a traditional PC and 60% less to purchase. According to research by the Gartner Group, the average cost of managing and supporting a standard PC costs £29k over five years whereas a thin client costs £18k across the same period. This means a typical installation of 50 network nodes equates to a saving of £550k over five years.

Thin clients also eliminate the security and virus risks within an organisation normally associated with a traditional PC, as thin client desktops do not store or execute programmes locally and do not allow downloading of files. Although this is a benefit, it is also a significant hidden saving when considering the cost of a virus epidemic in a typical office environment.

TCO Components
• Purchase Price
• Software licence costs
• Network support costs
• Desktop support costs
• Upgrade costs
• Security costs
• Electrical consumption
• Heat generation
• Office Real Estate

Related TCO Research
The Gartner Group
Forrester Research
IDC Research
Bloor Research
Citrix ACE Cost Analyser

Test drive the Netvoyager TCO calculator

 
 
 
 
Related Links 
Server Computing Explained
What is a thin client
TCO Calculator
Capacity Planner
Energy Saving Calculator
Green IT Framework
 
 
 
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