FujiFilm Updating Proprietary TCO Calculator

FujiFilm Recording Media USA, Inc.,a subsidiary of FujiFilm Corporation, announced an updated version of its proprietary TCO Calculator.

This free, online decision-making tool helps IT professionals compare the TCO of automated tape to disk and cloud-based storage systems.

Originally developed in 2017 by Brad Johns Consulting LLC, storage economics expert, and sponsored by the company, the TCO Calculator simulates 5- and 10-year costs for a variety of typical systems and storage applications. The 2019-2020 release features data reference points and calculation options that realistically reflect today’s storage options.

Variables such as costs of energy, hardware pricing, media capacities, inflation rates and labor costs have been updated to create an accurate modeling consistent with current trends. Most notably, the TCO Calculator raises the maximum user storage baseline from 10PB to 100PB, integrating the IBM TS4500 enterprise library using LTO-8 drives and media for initial capacities over 10PB. Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive and bulk retrieval service is now also included in cloud storage cost comparisons.

“IT professionals need to make strategic decisions about long term storage and they deserve the best and most accurate data to help them make well informed decisions,” said Kevin Benitez, product marketing manager, FujiFilm. “In most any storage scenario, tape systems are still unmatched in terms of cost, capacity, reliability, and security. As the datasphere continues to grow exponentially, tape continues to play a vital role.“

How TCO Calculator works
TCO calculations start with end-user variable data entered into the TCO tool and assumptions are made based on publicly available sources, such as vendor websites and industry research. Users enter the quantity of data to be stored in year one, the annual growth rate of stored data, and the percentage of data retrieved each year. The TCO calculates cost scenarios for 5 and 10 years of operation.

Users can download a customizable results report which includes an executive summary, key cost assumptions, and TCO by cost category and type (e.g., energy costs, offsite costs, service fees, bandwidth, etc.).