total cost of ownership (RoI) (TCO)
Total Cost of Ownership(TCO) is a term coined by the Gardner Group to encompass all costs of distributed computing.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) can be translated as total operating costs, but related to computing. These total operating costs are divided into the direct costs, the investment and procurement costs for hardware and software, the operating costs, and the costs for technical support and administration. In addition, there are the indirect costs, which are reflected in end- user operating costs and downtime costs.
The TCO method is used for dedicated cost analysis, which can be used to identify and eliminate hidden cost items in advance of investments.