Low-end RISC UNIX servers face pressure from NT servers offered by leading PC manufacturers like Compaq, Dell, and even Gateway. Therefore, they are often configured for the lowest possible price. Most customers end-up spending money to expand their base systems to meet their needs. Therefore, much of the growth costs on low-end servers are actually deferred acquisition costs. The chart summarizes the actual total cost of ownership for low-end Digital, HP, IBM, and Sun RISC UNIX servers.
Digital servers have the lowest installation and training costs of any of the four top brands.
HP and Sun were almost twice as expensive as Digital in this area while IBM was four times as expensive. This may be partially attributed to the types of computing environments in which the servers are installed. These customers have extensive experience with Digital servers which likely translates into lower installation and training costs. However, HP's installation costs are still twice as high as Digital indicating that other factors make their servers more expensive to install. The fact that IBM has the most servers installed in mixed environments could contribute to the higher installation and training costs associated with that brand.