IBM Introduces Total Cost Of Ownership Service Offerings

IBM today will launch its Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)Service Offerings, a portfolio of customized services for enterprise customers looking to trim expenses through better management of IT assets. Offered jointly by IBM's Personal Systems Group and IBM Global Services, the TCO Service Offerings will apply to customers using IBM Netfinity servers, IntelliStations, and Thinkpads.

The TCO Services Offerings are available in five bundles: TCO Baseline Analysis for small-scale consultations; TCO Advanced Analysis for large-scale consultations; Universal Management Tools Validation Pilot; UM Installation and Integration Services; and UM Tools Education.

Pricing for the offerings varies, depending upon both the type of service and the size of the implementation. Pricing for Baseline Analysis, which includes a high-level TCO overview analysis of a customer's IT architecture, is $3,000 plus travel expenses for the consultants. Pricing for Advanced Analysis, a more in-depth analysis that can take up to three months to complete, ranges from $25,000 to $250,000. UM Tools Validation Pilot, which provides IBM customers with information on how best to deploy IBM assets, is priced at $7,500, plus travel fees. UM Installation and Integration covers the installation of equipment and software, at $85 to $120 per desktop. UM Tools Education offers IT users hands-on training at $2,165 per person.

IBM likens the purchase of its enterprise computing devices to the purchase of any other big-ticket item. Says Dan Ransdell, VP of worldwide service and support for IBM's Personal Systems Group: "It's like buying a car; most people remember the service and support promises made to them more than the original sales pitch for the car itself."