Tisi's e-commerce application, with its data integration requirements, is a perfect showcase for the usefulness of these Win2000 enhancements. Staffing is a murky variable in the OS equation. The division of Unix adherents into various flavors makes Unix at least as hard to staff as Windows, he says. And Nicholas-Applegate's Turvey echoes that sentiment. So if one system is truly a better choice in this area, it wiill only be because a particular skill base is more plentiful in the desired industry or geography.
Practitioners remain divided over the cost issue.
But analysts at Gartner contend that the total cost of ownership is pretty much the same, once staffing costs and extra costs to beef up Windows systems' reliability are figured in. Tisi disagrees strongly. The hardware is much more commoditized. Tally Up Different businesses will reach different conclusions. Companies with midsize transactional needs can gain some cost advantage by going with Windows and may enjoy some of the added features.