The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is the total cost of a product during its lifecycle. By calculating the TCO, you can examine not only the cost of the initial purchase, but the total overall cost for the product’s (or service’s) entire lifetime. When purchasing a web analytics solution, it’s important to calculate the TCO, in order to identify and avoid certain traps, such as the cost and length of time of the solution implementation phase, or the cost of technical support. Apart from the acquisition cost, the TCO takes into account direct and indirect operating costs, training costs, evolution and updating costs, maintenance and administration costs, and support and assistance costs.

To learn more, read this article about Total Cost of Ownership and the 3 pitfalls to avoid when purchasing an analytics solution.