Many companies have recognized the need to examine the IT infrastructure from both a cost perspective and a performance standpoint. This analysis can be referred to as "IT optimization," and it includes an examination of computer hardware, software, and workflow processes to ensure peak performance of IT operations within the enterprise.

One of the most often overlooked pieces of the IT optimization process is in printing and copying, or hardcopy as a whole. The running costs which tremendously outweigh the initial printer price are often neglected and thus lead to high costs of ownership.

This is where the importance of TCO comes in. Total Cost of Ownership is what TCO means and as the name implies, it is the total cost at which a user will be spending throughout the life of a product.

Over the years, this has been proven to be the best way to determine cost efficiency from equipment especially those with consumables. However, it is not only consumables that are considered in TCO. It also considers consumable parts or parts replacements such as drums, developers, fusers and the likes. Even service expense should be considered to get more accurate TCO computations. Thus, when the final comparisons are made between different brands, all areas of expense would have been considered throughout the life of the product. The main importance is that all data such as cost per print, toner capacity, drum and fuser life, etc. must be present at the start of information processing.

This will greatly help organizations with their IT Optimization.
 

Here's a good example to show you specifically how TCO helps you evaluate which equipment is good for your company to purchase. Remember, every aspect of cost such as initial printer price, consumables, and consumable parts have been considered in this example by the third party tester.

Kyocera's Ecosys technology has always been known to deliver the lowest Total Cost of Ownership in all printer categories. To find out how much you can save by using Kyocera printers instead of your current brand, try our free BizOpt program to get information on your printing costs and how you can save. (You may click on the BizOpt logo to learn more about the program)

You can also do some comparisons on your own by downloading our TCO calculator software. To download, simply click on the know-your-savings piggy bank icon on the right side of this page.