ANSWER

Total Cost of Ownership is an estimation of the cost of a new technology solution that considers the full cost of acquisition plus ongoing maintenance over a specific period of time, usually 5 to 10 years. Because the cheapest solution to acquire (whether purchase or custom-developed) is not always the cheapest solution to maintain over the long-term, TCO is a good way to compare alternative solutions from a financial standpoint and to ensure that the organization is prepared and able to cover the cost of a new solution over the long term.

Factors included in calculating TCO are the software solution costs (either purchase or development), hardware (purchase or lease, as well as ongoing maintenance), system tools and utilities, and personnel costs. Personnel costs include all personnel (business and technical) involved in acquisition, as well as estimated personnel to operate and maintain the system. If a new system will introduce new technologies, then the costs to train technical support staff (or to acquire new staff with that expertise) would be factored into Total Cost of Ownership. These maintenance costs are estimated over the designated lifetime period.

It may seem that all systems should require similar personnel effort to operate and maintain, but that is actually not the case. Systems differ in the amount of operating and maintenance tasks that are (or can be) automated, in the amount of operational support required (such as the amount of performance monitoring and fine-tuning that might be needed), and even in the amount of anticipated changes or enhancements anticipated over the next several years. Systems that offer greater capabilities for end-user configuration are often less costly to maintain, as this can reduce the need for continual minor code changes (with the associated costs to design, develop and test that can add up to significant amounts over time).

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Sandy Lambert
Business Architect
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