At the risk of sounding clichéd, those of us in the world of technology may find it worth our while to remind ourselves of an old adage today: ‘Penny-wise and pound-foolish’.

With the pressure on costs being felt in every quarter of business, technology is being forced to look beyond speed, applications and gizmos to think costs, returns and value for money–begin using IT to drive profitability.

A few years ago, technology purchases were the sole preserve of the CTO or the CIO. Today it has become a joint-responsibility of the CTO, CIO, CFO and even the CEO.

This makes it important to make a broad-based evaluation when we are thinking of bringing our commercial establishments up to speed for technological requirements. In a world where desktops have become as ubiquitous as telephones, reversing the trend of commoditisation to make the right distinction when you decide to automate your office is vital to business success.

Lets begin with a quick look at some of the key trends that are changing the demands from technology today. These cover the core concerns of costs, security and manageability.

To begin with costs, it is imperative to differentiate the word ‘cost’ from ‘price’. The ongoing demands from technology necessitate an assessment of ‘total cost of ownership’ rather than the initial price of a commercial desktop. The most common fallacy is that unbranded products are cheaper, at least on the face of it. In the long-term, you could go wrong, simply because cost of IT is not in installing it, but maintainence. A Gartner survey says that an amazing 77% of costs is in service and end use (see chart).

But, today business cannot be measured simply by the cold figures of cost. It has to be measured against the value delivered and the value generated. It is this ratio that makes IT a major differentiator. With technology leaders following market trends closely, it is possible to derive real value from cutting-edge technology in desktops.

While we have dealt with costs, it would be pertinent to evaluate the two other core concerns–security and manageability. Security has evolved from physical security to data security. In a call center, for instance, one desktop could be used by multiple users in varying shifts. The security thereby transcends the one-desktop-one-user model.

Top brands today offer cutting -edge features in commercial desktops that provide security against data theft. Manageability encompasses a broad sweep including commonality, simplicity and image stability. While commonality helps minimize collective costs with the possibility of systems sharing the same image and PCA, the leaning towards simplicity and flexibility through updated form factors like convertible mini tower, small form factor and ultra-slim desktops is helping synergise finance and purchases.

Costs, security and manageability are the three dimensions of success in the new business-driven environment of IT today. Do the IT systems at your workplace give you confidence on all three fronts? If your answer is ‘Yes,’ then you have chosen well. If not, you will need to reassess your commercial desktop investments.

You should look beyond the basics of reliability, service and proven technology, and insist on the additional assurance of minimum TCO, maximum security and optimum manageability. Look around and follow the trends and it is possible to still find ‘tomorrow’s office today’–at today’s cost.

Ravi Swaminathan, V-P, pSG, HP India

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