TCO Essentials

Need to know what packages are installed where? Simply refer to the AD GPO groups used to deploy them.

A good antivirus product will handle its own updates and provide all the reporting you'll typically need by showing which systems are out of date. If it's out of date for virus updates, rest assured it's outmoded for other services as well.

Working with my value-added reseller, I was able to negotiate complete system imaging, on-site deployment, data-migration services, a four-hour on-site warranty uplift and 0.05 percent system on-site hot spares, disposal of the old systems, and recycling of all boxes and packing materials for less than $100 per system. Not only did I avoid increasing my support staff, I eliminated two ongoing hardware-support roles and reduced my TCO over three years by more than 50 percent.

Michel LaBelle

Manager, Network Infrastructure
Company name and e-mail address withheld by request

Michael J. DeMaria replies: I'm afraid your approach wouldn't be practical for many enterprises. Most operations can't afford--and wouldn't risk--replacement of all existing systems at once. What's more, different users and departments have different hardware and software requirements. But for organizations where a single machine and image can be used everywhere, your method of management may make sense.

Full Disclosure

In "Imported Java" (Jan. 20, 2005) was outsourcing vendor Patni Systems aware that the application-development job it undertook was in reality a research project for Network Computing?

Jerry Williams

President
Ascend Technologies
[email protected]

Don MacVittie replies: Since we weren't paying Patni, we had to explain who we were and what we were doing. But I don't believe our disclosure won us any VIP treatment.When Patni starts a project, it appoints a project leader, who in turn chooses staff members to form a team. In our case, the project leader went with individuals he'd never worked with before, as many of his first choices were on other assignments. Had Patni wanted to go out of its way to impress us, the project leader would have gotten whomever he'd wanted, even if it meant pulling people off other projects.

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