As for TCO; it's very easy to lower TCO in MS based environments:
1. You ignore third party solution required to complete the MS environment (I have yet to see an MS shop without 30-40% of the software componanted suplemnting MS shortcommings).
2. With big contract, MS will directly or inderectly, provide support and consulting with no fee. As no money changes hands, the TCO is ssems lower, but this does not provide a true pricture, as it does not apply to smaller enntities.
3. With MS, you do it the MS way. If your ornaizational structure does not match the AD way of thinking, you change the organization. This, again, is not calculated as TCO, as it is not an IT issue, but an organizational issue.
Gil
That's not it.
This study is a MS sponsored study. While IDC did their own research, they were told what parameters to test this under. In particular:
1. Whether or not certain aspects were checked. Security patching, anyone?
2. Time over which this was tested (coming back to 1 - anyone knows a shop that does not upgrade an MS product in 5 years. Why wasn't upgrade costs covered? An MS product is EOL after three years, four at most).
3. Which companies to ask.
Taking all of the above into consideration, anyone can be made to look good. I did expect more from Globes, though. Saying that "despite it being sponsored by Microsoft" seems unproffessional to me.
TCO has always amazed me as a meter. Ask any IT manager what the TCO of any product WAS (read - past tense), and then ask yourself what that answer means. This NEVER includes everything, because you cannot include everything. How much time people spent cursing about it's use. How much time the admin spent reading the manual. How many times they were interrupted for unrelated tasks.
And yet, we hear of people asking for TCO calculations about the future. What do they mean?
-- Shachar Shemesh Open Source integration & consulting Home page & resume - http://www.shemesh.biz/
The opinions expressed in this mail are my own, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of my employer. Wait! I am self employed! Hmm...
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