Help Desk Software: TCO Comparison Tool

Author(s): Fen Yik

Many of the leading help desk solutions are now offered under two delivery models: the traditional on-premise (installed) model and also the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS, on-demand, hosted) model. This Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator is designed to aid decision makers in comparing the costs of these two models. The tool includes the following components:

  • Cost categories overview. An explanation of the major cost categories that should be included in the TCO analysis.
  • Sample TCO information. A TCO chart describing a hypothetical help desk software implementation, based on case studies and industry estimates.
  • TCO calculator. A spreadsheet that dynamically calculates total cost per category, total cost per year, and overall TCO for SaaS and on-premise help desk solutions.
  • TCO comparison graph. A chart comparing the two TCOs over a five-year period.

Employ this total cost of ownership comparison tool to determine which of the two options is more cost-effective.

This tool is part of Info-Tech's help desk software series, which also includes the following research notes: