When considering a new IT infrastructure solution, the acquisition cost of the hardware and software to standup the infrastructure is only the starting point for cost analysis. It is important to look into the operational costs of deployment, training, licensing, scale out, downtime, and management. All of these considerations contribute to the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the solution.

This document will dive into the TCO of Scale Computing Platform and discuss how it compares to traditional architecture models. The combined considerations of different areas of costs will give a broader and more complete picture of how SC//Platform affects IT costs. With a focus on serving small and midmarket IT, Scale Computing is committed to making virtualization infrastructure both accessible and affordable for any size organization.

Acquisition costs of hardware and software are generally easy to determine based on vendor quotes, particularly if allocated as a CapEx (a Capital Expense). Acquisition costs can also be calculated as fixed OpEx (Operational Expense) which is also easy to calculate based on direct vendor quotes. Other types of operational expenses are not as easy to calculate and are often overlooked as part of TCO. Such costs that will be discussed here are: 

• Deployment 
• Training 
• Software 
• Licensing 
• Scale Out 
• Downtime Management

With each area of consideration, organizations will need to evaluate their own needs, own processes, and specific costs to determine the actual numbers. This will serve as a guide to calculating those costs.