Hidden Costs of SharePoint
When you are costing your SharePoint implementation you do need to be aware of the hidden costs. Like an iceberg 80% of the cost is hidden.
Build a Business Case
After identifying costs you need to build a business case and we can help you with that here.
WSS 3.0 Costs
WSS 3.0 is a free download and is easy to install taking 4 mouse clicks and an hour or so of your time.
You would almost certainly have an existing server so your up front costs are minimal.
However you do need to factor in the cost of creating your SharePoint site and completing administrative tasks e.g. configuring email and workflow. Setting up departmental sites, user accounts etc.
A typical cost for Solvetech to build a WSS 3.0 site with basic features setup and working. Creation of user accounts and departmental sites with out of the box functionality would be in the region of £2,000.
For a WSS 3.0 site with bespoke functionaliity budget for £5,000.
Maintenance Costs
The cost of maintaining the system is often underestimated by a factor of five-fold. SharePoint is an easy product for Office Workers to use but the complexities that lay beneath the engine are many and varied.
To effectively maintain and keep a SharePoint solution operational requires good expertise in:-
| √ | Windows Server |
|---|---|
| √ | SQL Server |
| √ | SharePoint MOSS |
| √ | IIS |
| √ | .NET |
| √ | Firewall security |
| √ | Exchange and SMTP |
Ball-park Maintenance Costs
For a small, professionally constructed SharePoint farm of two servers you should expect to pay for the following:
| √ | SharePoint 3rd line troubleshooting and maintenance based on 2 servers circa £3,000 |
|---|---|
| Total £3,000 per annum |
Ball-park SharePoint Setup Costs
Assuming a small server farm consisting of two dedicated file servers and 25 users.
| √ | A dedicated server running Microsoft Server 2003, 25 user cals, MOSS 2007, 25 MOSS user cals, Backup software, backup tapes and ultrium tape drive with UPS circa £7,500 |
|---|---|
| √ | A dedicated server running Microsoft Server 2003/8, 25 user cals, SQL 2005/8, 25 SQL user cals, Backup software with UPS
circa £6,000 |
| √ | 2 Days User Training circa £750 per user |
| √ | Dedicated firewall
circa £2,000+ |
| √ | Time to implement and test
circa £5,000 |
| Total £20,500 + training cost |
Call for a Quote!
We cannot quote here for every circumstance and we encourage you to call us on
We invest in You!
We believe in building strong client relationships and are prepared to invest time and money in getting to know you and your individual needs.
We run a free 1/2 day workshop with your business users to identify their high priority needs and business requirements.
We then produce a proposal with identified cost efficiencies together with a costed solution.
We aim to deliver self funding projects that pay for themselves with 12 months.
SharePoint Licensing Costs
Sometimes it is not easy to get straight, definitive answers regarding SharePoint licensing costs - even from Microsoft!
If you are not using the Microsoft MOSS 2007 for Internet Sites it is more straightforward. You need user cals for SQL Server, SharePoint and Windows server for the number of users required.
Check out this external link for some really illuminating answers to licensing queries including the Internet Sites option.
Solvetech Hosted Costs
You can access our proven expertise, reduce risk and save money using a customised Solvetech hosted SharePoint solution.
You gain a good quality, robust and secure SharePoint installation without many of the overheads.
In fact for a small good quality SharePoint installation we would typically charge less than 50% of the cost of doing it yourselves.
Hosted Charging Model
Solvetech can host your SharePoint solution and work with you to deliver a tailored solution for you.
We act as though we are your own SharePoint IT department working on your behalf. We administer the system(s) for you which means that you are not responsible for making the solution work for you.
This frees up staff time and reduces costs.
This reduces costs because you do not have to pay training costs, salary costs, provide holiday or sickness cover.
In short we provide a total solution.
We can also co-locate our servers within your own IT infrastructure as an additional option.
| √ | IT InfrastructureOur data centre hosts dedicated servers, firewall's, backup facilities and provides disaster recovery together with 24/7 technical support. |
|---|---|
| √ | Reduced Investment Costs
We take away the overhead of investing in SharePoint and SQL cals by charging a low monthly fee for only the number of users accessing the system. |
| √ | Efficient and Cost-effectiveWe allow you to increase or decrease the numbers of users on a monthly basis so you only pay for what you need. |
| √ | Complies with Microsoft LicensingOur hosted solution allows you to legitimately charge external users of the solution without breaking Microsoft licensing requirements. |
To discuss any needs you feel we may help you with please contact us - in the UK call us on:
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Solvetech.NET is a revolutionary service that slashes the UK benchmark cost of IT by 50%! Go to Solvetech.NET
SharePoint Advice Service
To help identify the key SharePoint issues within your business Solvetech offer a FREE SharePoint Advice Service which consists of a one hour face-to-face meeting with you. Go to the FREE SharePoint Advice Services Page.
