Cloud Architecture ROI Sandbox

Calculate the 5-year Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) comparing a legacy local server refresh against migrating tax software to a private Azure VDI environment.

Interactive Model

Physical Server Refresh Quote ($)

5000 50000

Monthly MSP Server Support Fee ($)

500 5000

5-Year Local TCO ($)

Model Assumptions: Includes base hardware quote + 60 months of MSP maintenance + estimated $1,000/mo for cooling, power, and local BDR (Backup & Disaster Recovery) appliances.

Common Mistakes

Comparing the monthly cost of Azure directly against the one-time purchase price of a Dell server, completely ignoring the 5-year maintenance and risk premium.

Frequently Asked Questions

Isn't the cloud a more expensive monthly OpEx?

Often, yes. But it eliminates the unpredictable CapEx spikes of hardware failure and significantly reduces the billable hours lost to remote access latency.

What about Rightworks or Cetrom?

This model specifically compares local hardware against a dedicated Azure VDI environment, which offers superior latency control for applications like Lacerte.