 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
You're aware of the alluring promises of desktop computing technology that business-focused publications describe, and you talk to savvy IT professionals regularly. The message from both sources is that standardized desktops can help to contain and control total costs of ownership (TCO). But exactly what does that mean? To begin, it's essential to understand the concept of total costs of ownership. After that, the benefits of standardization fall out quite neatly and succinctly. TCO is a life cycle model -- that is, it considers the total costs of acquiring, owning, operating, and maintaining equipment over its entire useful life. Furthermore, TCO includes not only costs associated with owning and operating the equipment, but also the costs associated with using the equipment to its fullest potential. Thus, items like user training, performing regular maintenance and audits, testing and deploying software updates, and handling systems management tasks are also part and parcel of the TCO model. When calculating TCO for desktop systems, it's essential to consider the following expenses: - Costs of analyzing and determining desktop computing needs, then specifying workable solutions
- Initial costs of hardware, as specified and delivered
- Costs of initial deployment into the workplace
- Costs of employee training and familiarization with new equipment and software
- Ongoing maintenance costs for software updates and upgrades
- Costs of employee retraining and refamiliarization when updates or upgrades require it
- Occasional costs for system repair or replacement owing to normal wear and tear, and infrequent system or component failures
- Ongoing costs for system and network maintenance, including configuration and security management, system cleanup and control, and backups or other data protection and preservation techniques
The costs involved after purchase -- as is the case for most life-cycle models -- normally exceed initial acquisition costs several times over during the useful life of computing hardware. Though SMBs are invariably sensitive to upfront costs, the real money is spent after the hardware arrives on the scene. Proper planning for and awareness of recurring or ongoing costs after purchase can actually save you significantly more money in the long run than achieving the lowest possible purchase prices on desktop systems. Keeping the list above in mind, consider the following related implications of standardizing your desktops, and their benefits throughout the TCO life cycle:
- Implementing a standard desktop specification requires broad analysis and consideration, but since it is a deliberate "one size fits all" approach, it requires little effort to maintain once completed -- at least, for the projected life of the systems involved.
- Initial costs of hardware may be deliberately set to trade longevity and upgradability off against purchase costs (invariably, cheaper machines are the shortest-lived and the hardest to upgrade or migrate).
- With a standard desktop specification, deployment can be scripted and automated in a test lab, then follow a completely "cookie cutter" strategy that's the same for all standard desktops. This also holds true as subsequent updates and upgrades are tested and deployed.
- Most employee training on standard hardware can also be standard; only department- or job-specific application training must vary by job roles or responsibilities. The same is true for retraining and refamiliarization following updates or upgrades. Simplification results in reduced training time and costs.
- Careful purchase of a small number of extra machines augments assigned desktops, creating a loaner pool for easy replacement of out-of service units.
- Smart use of system management tools and consoles, as well as proper backups or system images, makes it easy to manage and maintain a collection of standard desktops for all users. What users and administrators learn about any one machine applies to all machines, by and large. Users can move from machine to machine, and administrators can build and manage systems that move gracefully with them.
TCO calculations are based on the projected useful life of desktops and the average frequency of major desktop operating system releases (every two to three years is typical for Windows). By planning around a specific life cycle, savvy SMBs can create standards that not only remain usable and productive for the current life cycle, but help prepare for the next one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The desirability of a standard desktop design enters the picture when SMBs plan to deploy multiple new desktops, or as part of migrating to next-generation desktop operating systems. If a company currently has a hodgepodge of systems, it's not always practical to replace all of them at once except under the following special circumstances: - When upgrades or migrations become necessary, whether because of planned obsolescence of current platforms or due to necessary changes to key systems or applications in the workplace.
- When multiple new desktops are needed to accommodate new hires, organizational changes, moves, mergers, and so forth.
Even so, you don't want to make technology purchases that won't help your bottom line, improve key business processes, or otherwise benefit your organization's situation. There really is no single test you can apply to determine if you need to standardize all desktops immediately, but some general guidelines will help.
If your organization has more than five staff members, or if it operates various elements of an IT infrastructure itself -- such as one or more departmental or workgroup servers, public or private Web services, or e-mail or database services -- there's enough work involved in installing, deploying, and managing desktops to realize benefits from standardizing your desktops. Even if an organization moves gradually toward a standard desktop over the course of a year or longer, benefits of standardization increase as the number of standard platforms grows.
The most important thing you can do to ensure that a desktop standard meets your company's needs and fits your budget is to devote some time and energy to assessing your needs and mapping out a solution. Until you understand what kinds of applications your users must run and what onboard storage and processing capabilities they need, you run the risk of either implementing an underpowered standard or spending more money on desktops than you really need to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Printable version
