This is Project #5 question from Part C: Financial Analysis Tools on page 513 of Scott Tilley, Harry J. Rosenblatt, Systems Analysis and Design, 11^th Edition:

5. Explore the TCO calculator shown in Figure C-1 that Amazon.com provides for estimating value in migrating to the cloud using their AWS infrastructure for a hypothetical product. Comment on the usefulness of such a tool to the systems analyst.

Figure C-1 shows a TCO calculator to compare the costs of running applications on-premises or in the cloud using Amazon.com's AWS infrastructure. Because migrating to the cloud is a complex activity, such calculators can greatly help the systems analyst make informed decisions. Google, IBM, Microsoft, and other vendors provide similar TCO guidance related to the cloud and other types of large-scale IT projects. Figure C-1 Amazon.com offers a calculator to compare the TCO of running applications on-premises or in the cloud using AWS AWS Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator Use this calculator to compare the cost of running your applications in an on-premises or traditional hosting environment to AWS. Describe your on-premises or hosting environment configuration to produce a detailed cost comparison with AWS. w 654 004 1. Describe your existing or planned on 2. Get an instant summary report which 3. Download a full report including premises or hosting infrastructure in hows you the three year TCO four steps, or enter detailed configurations. detailed cost breakdowns, Methodology comparison by cost categories. Assumptions, and FAQ or store the report in Amazon S3 for sharing with others. Source: Amazon Web Services, Inc