Glossary


TCOsearch for term

A measurement of the cost of owning a system over a period of time.

TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) includes all of the costs involved in a technology or business solution. In addition to the initial investment cost, such costs include maintenance, support, replacement costs, and the like. In the case of software, the TCO should include the initial cost of the software; upgrade cost; and maintenance, support and training costs.

See http://publications.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=25907 for Becta's 2005 study of TCO implications of open source software in schools.