TCO Analysis
Conducting a TCO analysis is a great way to uncover the cost of your current storage equipment or help you to identify the lifecycle cost of a new storage system. To help you uncover the TCO of your storage system here is an easy rule-of-thumb guide for reference.
So, to wrap up, following these tips will lower the TCO of your storage system:
- Purchase the storage configuration and capacity size that meets your near-term business needs.
- Ensure the storage system has components and software licensing with reasonable and scalable costs. Identify upgrade costs for capacity, components and software licensing.
- Consider implementing thin servers to take full advantage of a storage area network (SAN).
- Determine what storage system evaluation metrics meet your organization’s needs.
- The standard cost per terabyte, while easy to calculate, may mask underlying storage inefficiencies or not uncover what is most valuable to your business.
- Confirm the system’s warranty period meets your expectations for the useful life of the storage system.
- Ensure software licensing is clearly defined, is easy to understand and can accommodate future system expansions.
- Select a system offering the highest capacity utilization rate, while offering limited performance degradation.
Rob Peglar is vice president of Technology at Xiotech Corporation, an innovator in data storage and protection solutions, and leads the shaping of the company’s strategic vision and emerging technologies. With more than 30 years in the industry, he also is a sought-after speaker and panelist at conferences and seminars worldwide and currently serves on the SNIA Board of Directors. For more information about Xiotech and its products and services, visit www.xiotech.com or call (952) 983-3000.