Vol I - Edition I

 The Real Cost of Windows Vista, by James Gaskin

If your company plans to play the Vista game, start cooking your books now.
I estimate each Vista user will cost your company between $3,250 and $5,000. That's each and every Vista user. Money will go to Microsoft for Vista and Office 2007, to hardware vendors for new PCs and components, and possibly a few bucks to Apple for those users jumping to a Mac. After all, if Apple's higher cost has been the factor keeping your company from trying a Mac, that factor just washed away.

Why $3,250-$5,000? Here's my calculation. Feel free to tell me what your company has budgeted, and whether you believe your own numbers.

New PCs will cost $1,500-$2,000. Darn few existing corporate PCs will have the video horsepower needed to run Aero, Vista's primary upgrade inducement. You need 256MB of video RAM to run Aero properly, no matter what Microsoft's marketing says. I don't know of any motherboard-based video chip sets that include 256MB of RAM. Upgrade? While in the PC, add memory: Vista needs a minimum of 1GB of RAM. The hardware cost of the RAM may be less than your labor costs getting that installed in every PC. If your existing PCs can take full advantage of Vista, I'm happy for you. I don't believe you, but I hope your upgrade goes well.

Depending on your volume purchasing agreements, new copies of Vista and Office will total between $750 and $1,000. After all, your company always buys the "professional" packages, right? And they have to be installed, right? If you're getting a much cheaper quote on both packages installed and tested, let me know.

The real value of Vista and Office 2007 includes new collaboration services. This means new back end servers. Most estimates place the back end support cost at $2,000 per user, but I used a range of $1,000-$2,000 for my calculations. Why get Office 2007 if not new SharePoint and Exchange servers? Can you run both on one box? Didn't think so.

Document your objections now, because next year the vice presidents will blame IT for their busted budget. But the housing market appreciates you taking up the slack.

My Vista Budget Vacuum column got Slashdotted, so 500 plus message replies alternate between calling me an idiot and a genius. Unfortunately, the Slashdot headline made it sound like the cost estimates were for just Vista. My point is that Vista is the engine pulling a long train of other products and services some vice presidents will demand. Those are the ones that cost money.

I learned three interesting things. First, some techs spend too much time on Slashdot. Second, many of those techs don't read the articles they scream about. Finally, best practices vary enormously between companies and techs, which really surprised me.

Let me address some detractors. True, no one has to upgrade to Vista at all, but Microsoft's marketing machine carries enormous weight, especially with non-technical vice presidents. Yes, you can buy PCs that support Vista for less than $1,500, but not many, and if you really keep PCs for five years, do you want to buy the cheapest PC possible? And one poor guy who just bought new PCs because of Katrina said he spent $1,500 per non-Vista PC (but I hope he got powerful enough units to work with Vista). Several industry insiders told me 95 percent of PCs bought by corporations today, using last year's Intel specifications, won't fully exploit Vista because of the need for DirectX 10 video support.

When Vista gets rolling, the new PCs will include Vista software. That's something I should have addressed, but didn't. Most big companies are on some type of license agreement, so Office 2007 upgrades will be free or far less expensive than retail. True as well.

Many asked why I didn't include training and support costs, because they will be substantial. Those are soft costs hard to quantify in a short newsletter. Training will be needed, however, so get ready, and beef up your help desk.

Most companies have a PC upgrade cycle, so many told me they have a plan for Vista. My concern? Upgrade cycle plans get changed when senior staff keeps their old PCs and watch HR clerks get new Vista powerhouses. People with big offices love status symbols, and I, along with Microsoft, believe a new Vista system will become a status symbol.

My favorite definition of expert: the one who says the project will cost the most and take the longest. Believe those people every time.

James E. Gaskin writes books (16 so far), articles and jokes about technology and real life from his home office in the Burlington area. Gaskin has been helping small and medium sized businesses use technology intelligently since 1986. Write him at james.gaskin@itworld .com.

A & G Computer Services Note:

While this article covers most of the upgrade costs, it does miss a few that may be applicable, such as incompatible hardware and software with Vista.  For example, older printers may not have Windows Vista drivers, and software, such as PCAnywhere Version 11.5 is not compatible with Vista.  A & G Computer Services recommends thoroughly researching your current hardware and software and putting together a complete upgrade plan prior to purchasing Vista.