Normally I’m not impressed with TCO calculation tools. They often rely on unrealistic assumptions, request obscure data points, and deliver dry results. However, the new Microsoft Datacenter TCO Tool (www.datacentertcotool.com) impressed me as being different.
The first thing that caught my attention was the assumption that you were already running VMware! OK, disappointed that this is often the case, but for a Microsoft tool to start with that as reference point caused me to take notice and drew me in to look further.
I found the remaining questions to be easy to answer with the aid of the popup tips that appeared along the right side:
Which resulted in a nice executive summary:
Which left me at the cost and benefit breakdowns. What I appreciated about the summary was that we not only provided the results of the analysis, but provided supporting content about our assumptions and justifications for the differentiators. In addition, it looks at the cost difference holistically – not just the price of the software, but includes labor, storage, etc. As a partner, what I saw were talking points that I could use to help my customer understand why Windows Server with Hyper-V was not just a better value, but a better solution for their business.
I can’t wait to introduce my virtualization partners to this tool.
Steve