Understanding the TCO of IT assets, including purchase price, cost of power consumption, cooling, maintenance and management, is paramount if businesses wish to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of their technology as well as their budget. If any potential residual value of the devices is included in this analysis, an organisation will have a clear view of the current environment and be able to make decisions about whether assets should be retired, replaced or kept – and for how much longer.
For example, the analysis may identify a server that is still being used but is not performing at its peak or has a high level of power consumption because of its age. The business may consider that it would be prudent to replace it - trading it in if there is a residual value - for a newer, more energy efficient version before the end of its lifecycle.
To see a real example of this with IBM servers, click on the 'Scenario' tabs. It demonstrates two options available when considering the replacement of legacy servers to more efficient and greener models.
Naturally, which path an organisation takes to secure a successful migration depends on their unique situation, their objectives and their financing and purchasing policies.
- To see an example of how savings can be made by refreshing legacy IBM servers click on the Scenario 1 or Scenario 2 tabs above
- Read more about the tried and tested Morse Asset Retirement programme, part of our Technology Lifecycle Management (TLM) approach to IT, that helps to ensure you get the best combination of value and performance from your investments.
- Book a free asset survey to uncover which assets could be retired and how much you could save.
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|
Installed System |
Replacement System |
| Model |
i825 |
550 |
| CPU Architecture |
Power 4 - 1.1GHz |
Power 5+ - 1.9GHz |
| CPU cores |
3 |
1 |
| Power (W) |
1,463.00 |
1,158.00 |
| BTU/hr |
4,993.00 |
3,754.00 |
| EIA Rack units |
16 |
4 |
| RRP Price * |
N/A |
£135,142 |
| Support ** |
£63,673 |
£13,868 |
| Cost of ownership |
£1,452 |
£1,128 |
| CO2 tonnes per annum |
6.7 |
5.3 |
Here is an example that demonstrates the savings to be made when replacing an IBM i825 with an IBM System i i550, immediately and in the longer term. The i825 is a floor standing system that would take up 16U’s in a rack compared to 4U’s with the i550. There is a 26% reduction in Watts and a 33% reduction in BTU’s used and a 26% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Even though not related to issues of power consumption, and “green”, support costs are a big factor when it comes to running IT. It is no secret that older machines cost more to support, however the savings to be gained year on year by refreshing technology also need to be considered. In this scenario, the savings are a staggering £49,205 which represents just over a third of the list price of the new IBM System i i550 configuration.
If you combine this with a potential trade-in value for your old server, the reasons to retire old devices and implement up-to-date, more powerful, less power-hungry systems with increased features and functionality and the ability to add additional workload become very compelling.
Notes:
* RRP prices given; no manufacturer discount applied
** 3 years’ support 24x7 service plus field installation
Cost of ownership figures based on a server being run in a server enviroment and is calculated on averages, such as cost of electricity, server room requirement (cooling/UPS etc.) Do not include real estate or manpower costs
CO2 figures are based upon tonnes per annum. The average family car creates 4 tonnes CO2 per annum.
Scenario 1 demonstrates an increase in CPW from 3600 on the i825 to 3800 on the i550
Servers are assumed to be on for 24hrs a day, 7 days a week
Electricity factors are taken from DEFRA 2007
| |
Installed System |
Replacement System |
| Model |
p670 |
Power 550 |
| CPU Architecture |
Power 4 - 1.1GHz |
Power 6 - 4.2GHz |
| CPU cores |
16 |
8 |
| Power (W) |
15,400.00 |
1,400.00 |
| BTU/hr |
22,800.00 |
4,778.00 |
| EIA Rack units |
17 |
4 |
| RRP Price * |
N/A |
£108,580 |
| Support ** |
£146,954 |
£3,626 |
| Cost of ownership |
£15,300 |
£1,387 |
| CO2 tonnes per annum |
70.6 |
6.4 |
Here we compare an IBM p670 with 16 Power 4 1.1GHz cores which takes up 17U’s with an IBM System Power 8024-E8A with 8 cores that takes up 4U’s. The 8024 uses 11 times less power usage and 5 times less BTU’s and generates 5 times less CO2 emissions.This clearly demonstrates that replacing old servers with newer, more efficient technology can have a significant impact on energy costs and usage.
Even though not related to issues of power consumption, and “green”, support costs are a big factor when it comes to running IT. It is no secret that older machines cost more to support, however the savings to be gained year on year by refreshing technology also need to be considered. In this scenario, the savings are a staggering £143,000 compared to the £109,000 list price of the new IBM Power 8024-E8A configuration.
If you combine this with a potential trade-in value for your old server, the reasons to retire old devices and implement up-to-date, more powerful, less power-hungry systems with increased features and functionality and the ability to add additional workload become very compelling.
Notes:
* RRP prices given; no manufacturer discount applied
** 3 years’ support 24x7 service plus field installation
Cost of ownership figures based on a server being run in a server enviroment and is calculated on averages, such as cost of electricity, server room requirement (cooling/UPS etc.) Do not include real estate or manpower costs
CO2 figures are based upon tonnes per annum. The average family car creates 4 tonnes CO2 per annum.
Scenario 2 demonstrates like for like performance
Servers are assumed to be on for 24hrs a day, 7 days a week
Electricity factors are taken from DEFRA 2007
