Total cost of ownership: it all comes down to free kittens

Does the term "total cost of ownership" cause fear or perhaps flight? How about cute n' cuddly free kitties? If you're running toward one and running away from the other, read on. They're not as different as you may think.

Jean Montgomery recently facilitated a MaintainIT webinar on the topic of total cost of ownership, and while it's true that there's a lot of factors to consider, she distilled it all down to free kittens. When someone hands you a kitten for free, there's likely hidden charges that soon turn the $0 into $$$. There's food, there's medical bills, there's toys, there's soft and cushy beds, there's scratching posts, there's new sofas to replace now that you bought the scratching post... the list goes on and on.

With technology, there's more to the cost of a computer than just the computer. There's technical support, there's staff time, there's anti-virus software, there's... you see where I'm going. In both cases--computers and kitties--it's important to take into consideration the hidden costs so you can budget accordingly and not be caught off guard when issues surface (and you know they will!). 

For more information on the topic of total cost of ownership (TCO), check out:

1. "Planning for Sucess" Cookbook on the topic of TCO.

2. "Planning for Success" Cookbook on TCO  free and open source.

3. View the archive of "What is the Total Cost of Ownership" MaintainIT webinar: http://www.maintainitproject.org/events/what-is-the-total-cost-of-owners...

4. Read and listen to what Jim Haprian, from the Medina County District Library (OH) has to say about TCO: http://www.maintainitproject.org/spotlight/jim-haprian

5. For more fun and less heavy lifting, enjoy Unshelved's take on TCO:

(you can find the original strip on the Unshelved site.)

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