Basically there are a bunch of things that make up TCO. In a mainframe solution the hardware makes up more of the costs, people, network infrastructure, etc make up less. In a PC server solution it is reversed. TCO is a very hard thing to define. I think the mainframe has the deck stacked against it from the standpoint of a lot of people only looking at the price of the hardware and thinking they can get by with a PC server. I think you really have to do your homework to convince people the mainframe is the better solution.
> -----Original Message----- > From: Alan Altmark [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 10:48 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: URGENT! really low performance. A related question... > > > > I think that we, and IBM, have taken to resting on our > laurels, and we > all > > refuse to notice that these cheap, unreliable toys are > catching up to > the > > curve. Most of our "excuses" work today still, but in > another year or > two, I'm > > not so sure. And I'm finding it hard right now to stand in > front of a > group and > > tell them that they're better off serving web pages on a > million dollar > server, > > when those same pages can be served by a $299 machine. It > takes a whole > lot of > > virtual Linux images to reach the TOC of a $299 machine. > > If you are allowing $299 to be the discussion point, the, yes, your > laurels have been smashed flat, indeed! ;-) > > $299 is NOT the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the machine. > Utilities, > people, network infrastructure, real estate, etc. all are part of TOC, > too. (Watch those people costs, btw....) > > Focusing on the technology will lead you down the proverbial > garden path. > Focus on the *business*. When you look at total I/T spending > as part of > your business, assuming you know where them money goes (big > assumption!), > then it becomes more obvious when mainframes should at least be > considered. The technology is just a way to affect the TCO. > > But as long a the conversation is limited to *acquisition > price* instead > of *cost of ownership*, then no meaningful discussion of the role of > mainframes can be had. > > Alan Altmark > Sr. Software Engineer > IBM z/VM Development >
