ABSTRACT
Network management has always been a very labor-intensive proposition. Routine tasks, such as providing user support and troubleshooting, adding users to the network, changing users’ access rights, and keeping track of hardware and software, have typically been performed manually. Compounding the difficulty of measuring support costs was the fact that local area network management was decentralized. Data center and network administrators can estimate how much they will save when partnering with a single PC connectivity vendor by using a formula. It is easy to get a handle on the direct labor charges that an organization incurs to resolve problems resulting from the use of products from multiple PC connectivity vendors. It is more difficult to calculate the cost due to lost productivity and lost revenues. The data center manager should take these factors into account when selecting PC connectivity software. The rule of thumb is to find a single vendor with a reputation for timely support.
