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This paper explains how to calculate the cost of a Notes 5 system. It includes a spreadsheet that readers can use. We review features of Notes 6 that are likely to introduce cost savings.

Our assessment of the cost savings features is preliminary. At the time of writing, the software had not been released and we have only been able to interview beta users at early stages of deployment.

The typical direct cost of Notes 5—i.e., costs of concern to the Notes support team—is about $22 per user per month. Notes 6 should help reduce that figure in the following ways:

• Reduced network usage
• Fewer servers to manage
• More effective user administration
• Simpler future upgrades
• Improved server availability
• Increased user productivity

Table of Contents

Calculating System Costs
     The Ferris Total Cost of Ownership Model
     Direct Costs
     Platform Costs
     User Productivity Loss Costs
     Model Design: Choices and Ambiguities
Notes Release 5 Costs
     Hardware Costs
     Software Costs
     Operations Costs
     Major Upgrade Costs
Notes 6 TCO Reductions: First Impressions
     Save Network Bandwidth Costs
     Less Administration Overhead with Server Consolidation
     Lower End-User Support Costs
     Reduced Future Upgrade Costs
     Less Downtime with Preventive Server Failure Monitoring
     Increased User Productivity with UI Enhancements
     Increased Availability by Improved Fault Recovery
     Lower Administrative Overhead with Platform Integration
     Quality Improved in Notes 6 vs. Previous Releases
Notes 6: Key New Features
     Lotus Notes 6
     Domino 6
     Lotus Domino Designer 6