MAYNARD, Mass., and REDMOND, Wash., April 14 — Two independent studies show Digital Personal Workstations running Microsoft(R) Windows NT(R) Workstation offer a lower cost of ownership and dramatically outperform competitors’ UNIX offerings.
A Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group study of 113 organizations concluded that the average three-year total cost of ownership for Digital Personal Workstations running Microsoft’s Windows NT Workstation was $63,000 versus $104,000 for comparable UNIX machines: a savings of 39 percent.
The detailed study considered acquisition and maintenance costs of hardware and software, technical support costs, and user self-support costs related to workstations. The results suggest that for a group of 25 workstations, savings in a three-year total cost of ownership can amount to more than one million dollars.
Separately, Pro/E: The Magazine, reported that the Digital Personal Workstation 500a running Windows NT Workstation 4.0 offered the fastest performance of all workstations tested, regardless of CPU architecture or operating system. In the study, six of the ten fastest systems were running Windows NT Workstation.
In a technical workstation environment lead by traditional UNIX machines, Windows NT Workstation now provides similar functionality, fast performance, a lower initial purchase price, and significantly lower cost of ownership.
This is a major finding of the Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group study entitled, “Technical Workstation Total Cost of Ownership Study, A Cost Comparison of Microsoft Windows NT Workstation and UNIX.” These cost savings hold true for all the major application areas covered in the study: Mechanical Design Automation, Geographic Information Systems, and Digital Content Creation.
“The study for the first time validates what many people already suspected to be true,” said Will Robinson from Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group. “It also provides a means for IT managers to quantify costs and understand return on investment before embarking on a UNIX-to-Windows(R) migration.”
Providing The Best Value to Customers
The study presents a total cost of ownership (TCO) model for technical workstations developed by Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group and underwritten by Digital Equipment Corporation and Microsoft Corporation. The cost components of the TCO model included hardware and software acquisition, support and maintenance and opportunity costs.
“The question is no longer whether or not to migrate to Windows NT. The question is — how soon can I do it and how can I maximize my competitive advantage,” said Philippe Ribeyre, vice president of Digital’s Workstation Business Segment. “Digital and Microsoft offer the products, the services and the know-how to help customers achieve those objectives today, better than any other vendor or any combination of vendors,” Ribeyre said.
“The Deloitte & Touche study confirms that Windows NT Workstation offers a compelling, cost-effective alternative to expensive and proprietary Sun and other UNIX workstations,” said Jim Allchin, senior vice president of the Personal and Business Systems Group at Microsoft. “Microsoft and Digital are committed to reducing cost of ownership, while continuing to provide innovation and value in the Windows platform with the Zero Administration for Windows Initiative.”
The study also reveals that maintenance and support costs are considerably higher for UNIX workstations than for Windows NT workstations. The cost differential over three years for just one workstation is more than $8,000. In addition, the study concludes that with Windows NT workstations, many organizations may be able to reduce or eliminate dedicated support staffs for technical departments, relying instead on established PC support organizations.
Performance Leadership from Digital and Microsoft
In applications benchmarks conducted by Pro/E: The Magazine, Digital Personal Workstation 500a running Windows NT Workstation outperformed a similarly priced Sun Ultra 1-40E by 171 percent and outperformed a 49 percent more expensive Sun Ultra 1-200E by 98 percent.
Pro/E: The Magazine’s used “Bench97,” a benchmark based on typical daily tasks performed by an engineer using Pro/Engineer software. The Digital Personal Workstation 500a outperformed 22 workstations in the Bench97 test. It outperformed a similarly priced Sun Ultra 1-140E by 171 percent and beat the twice as expensive, two-processor Sun Ultra 2-2300 by 37 percent.
Digital’s Personal Workstations are a key part of Digital’s continuing strategy of providing the best performance and value for Windows NT solutions across corporate and technical computing environments. The Digital Microsoft Alliance for Enterprise Computing, formed in August 1995, combines Microsoft client/server products with Digital’s leadership in enterprise systems, service, support and systems integration. Customers can deploy business solutions on the Microsoft Windows and Windows NT operating systems with assurance of integration into the most complex business environments.
For more information on the Alliance and to obtain a copy of the Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group study, refer to (http://www.alliance.digital.com/microsoft) . For more information on Digital Personal Workstations, see (http://www.workstation.digital.com) . For more information on Windows NT Workstation, see http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation . For more information on Pro/E: The Magazine workstation benchmark scores, see (http://www.proe.com/) .
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Digital Equipment Corporation (NYSE: DEC) is a world leader in open client/server solutions from personal computing to integrated worldwide information systems. Digital’s scalable Alpha and Intel platforms, storage, networking, software and services, together with industry-focused solutions from business partners, help organizations compete and win in today’s global marketplace.
NOTE: Digital and the Digital logo are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. Microsoft, Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd. Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Steve Milmore of Digital Equipment Corporation, 508-493-2969 or Phil Holden of Microsoft Corporation, 206-703-2074 or Mary Haigis of Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group, 404-220-1453
