Choosing a server operating system may be the most important decision an administrator can make. The process of selection takes time, research, and testing. But letting others agree to the server operating system you recommend and willing to fund the purchase will be a bigger challenge. Administrators generally pay more attention to the technical parameters of the server operating system. There are many other factors that influence the decision-making process are often ignored by them. In the long run, these neglected factors will affect the total cost of ownership (TCO), which will affect investment in the short term. Return (ROI). Factors of financial
ignored is the biggest mistake people often make network management, TCO and ROI is selected a product, a strong basis for the application of funds, but judged a server operating system operating system more than another server Financial advantage is a complex process, but fortunately there are some ready-made ROI and TCO calculation methods available.
procurement costs - this is probably the easiest method of measure, the initial cost of computing server operating systems include software prices, licensing fees and support costs of the agreement, most of the time, Linux has a distinct advantage in this regard.
hardware costs - server operating systems typically require the most advanced hardware, here, too, should contain server hardware and hardware support come in, such as the need to use the storage, memory and peripherals for large-scale deployment, economies of scale It is also an important factor, and buying with rack equipment is often cheaper than purchasing components separately.
Training Costs – Installing and managing a new server operating system usually requires training and sometimes even certification. The cost of this project greatly increases the overall cost of the project. For example, the organization that originally deployed Windows suddenly turned to Linux. The cost of training maintenance and management personnel will be a small expense.
Implementation Costs – It takes time to install the server operating system and related equipment, which translates into cost, the cost of physical installation, VAR/contractor costs and downtime related costs also need to be taken into account. In most cases, these costs are affected by the complexity of the installation and the chosen operating system.
support costs - there will be a new server operating system related support costs, from technical support contracts to service VAR, to internal staff costs, the key is to determine these costs accurately reflect the project's TCO.
lower the cost of the above description of the selected server operating system can save the cost, but it is only part of the equation, the administrator needs to calculate a cost server operating system other than the server operating system to save, save Expenses can help limit ROI and demonstrate the advantages of the chosen operating system, helping to determine higher up-front costs and long-term savings. But determining the advantages of tangible and intangible is a complex process, and sometimes it is necessary to estimate some feasible numbers.
Auxiliary Applications – For many people, the choice of a new server operating system is driven by a new business application system or business process, where these drivers can be used to illustrate how much savings can be saved. Expenses, for example, if a new application can support both open source databases (such as MySQL, PostgreSQL) and commercial databases (such as Oracle, SQL Server), then choosing an open source product will reduce overall costs and increase ROI.
efficiency - server operating system can be saved in a particular environment in certain expenses, such as support for virtualized operating system allows administrators to reduce the number of physical servers, in addition you can also save energy and cooling costs.
Performance - There are many tangible and intangible benefits to improving performance. From the perspective of raw processing power, a server operating system can support more users and transactions than other server operating systems. When calculating physical load, These are tangible benefits. In addition, improving performance can also improve the end-user experience and increase productivity (which can be seen as an intangible benefit).
Future planning – As time goes by, the network will become larger and larger, and the demand for server operating systems will become larger and larger, but predicting the growth rate may be cumbersome. Some products need to deploy different versions. In response to demand growth, some products must scale outward. It is difficult to calculate the expenses required for network growth. It is an ideal way to predict network growth based on the company's business plan.
Stability – Choosing the right server operating system helps reduce failures and unexpected downtime, saving a lot of money for large organizations, failover, clustering and hot swapping, and business continuity Reduced downtime, such as sex, can be converted into cost savings.
determine the total value of the server operating system is not a simple matter, but combined with the right information, the raw data and tools to calculate costs and expenditure savings, the value of the server operating system has become a persuasive The elements, and more importantly, with these calculations, the administrator can explain the financial reasons for the selected technology.