Principled Technologies
User lost productivity calculator
Productivity costs summary
Annual per-user lost productivity cost
Server-based computing with thin clients (Your enterprise) $705.60 Server-based computing with thin clients (Example enterprise) $705.60
Well-managed rich clients $800 $600 $400 $200
$705.60
$705.60
Average annual perclient cost Average annual cost for all 8,000 users
$0.00
$0.00
$5,644,800.00
$5,644,800.00
$0.00
$0 Well-managed rich clients Server-based computing Server-based computing with thin clients with thin clients (Your enterprise) (Example enterprise)
This calculator estimates the increase in cost of lost productivity for users of server-based computing with thin clients compared to well-managed rich clients. We include estimates for an example enterprise plus a set of estimates that you can modify to get a rough idea of costs for your enterprise.
To get costs for your enterprise, adjust the values in the orange cells below. Notes on assumptions and default values appear both in comment fields and in notes on the Description tab.
Number of users
8,000
User productivity factors
Your enterprise Light users - users who perform primarily data entry or other low-demand, transactional tasks Percentage of users of this type Average salary for users of this type Average number of hours users of this type work with client system each day Percentage of time users of this type perform low-demand, transactional tasks such as entering and retrieving data Percentage of time users of this type perform medium-demand, typical tasks using Microsoft Office and complex line-of-business applications Percentage of time users of this type perform productivity tasks 50.00% $50,000.00 7.00 85.00% 50.00% $50,000.00 7.00 85.00% Example enterprise
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10.00% 5.00%
10.00% 5.00%
Medium users - knowledge workers who run typical or medium-demand tasks, usually with Microsoft Office and complex line-of-business applications such as accounting and resource planning applications
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Percentage of users of this type Average salary for users of this type Average number of hours users of this type work with client system each day Percentage of time users of this type perform low-demand, transactional tasks such as entering and retrieving data Percentage of time users of this type perform medium-demand, typical tasks using Microsoft Office and complex line-of-business applications Percentage of time users of this type perform productivity tasks
50.00% $50,000.00 6.00 40.00%
50.00% $50,000.00 6.00 40.00%
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52.00% 8.00%
52.00% 8.00%
Heavy users - power users who frequently perform productivity or high-demand tasks. Power users typically run applications, such as 3-D design applications and complex financial applications, that put a high demand on the server. Percentage of users of this type Average salary for users of this type Average number of hours users of this type work with client system each day Percentage of time users of this type perform low-demand, transactional tasks such as entering and retrieving data Percentage of time users of this type perform medium-demand, typical tasks using office and line-of-business applications Percentage of time users of this type perform productivity tasks
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0.00% $50,000.00 6.00 20.00% 52.00% 28.00%
0.00% $50,000.00 6.00 20.00% 52.00% 28.00%
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Lost productivity for server-based computing with thin clients when running low-, medium-, and high-demand tasks
Your enterprise Percentage of user productivity lost while performing low-demand, transactional tasks such as entering and retrieving data Percentage of user productivity lost while performing medium-demand, typical tasks using office and line-of-business applications Percentage of user productivity lost while performing high-demand productivity tasks 0.50% Example enterprise 0.50%
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1.50% 5.00%
1.50% 5.00%
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Costs of lost user productivity for server-based computing with thin clients
Your enterprise Number of working days per year Burdened rate (additional per-user cost of medical insurance, 401K, life insurance, etc.) as a percentage of salary Average percentage of lost user productivity per light user Average daily minutes of lost user productivity per light user Average daily cost of lost user productivity per light user Average percentage of lost user productivity per medium user Average daily minutes of lost user productivity per medium user Average daily cost of lost user productivity per medium user Average percentage of lost user productivity per heavy user Average daily minutes of lost user productivity per heavy user Average daily cost of lost user productivity per heavy user Average percentage lost user productivity Average daily cost of lost productivity per user Average annual cost of lost productivity per user Annual cost of lost productivity for all 8,000 users 245 60% 0.83% 3.49 $2.37 1.38% 4.97 $3.38 2.28% 8.21 $5.58 1.11% $2.88 $705.60 $5,644,800.00 Example enterprise 245 60% 0.83% 3.49 $2.37 1.38% 4.97 $3.38 2.28% 8.21 $5.58 1.11% $2.88 $705.60 $5,644,800.00
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Principled Technologies
User lost productivity calculator
Burdened end-user salaries
Your enterprise Burdened light user salary Burdened medium user salary Burdened heavy user salary Average light user per-minute rate Average medium user per-minute rate Average heavy user per-minute rate $80,000 $80,000 $80,000 $0.68 $0.68 $0.68 Example enterprise $80,000 $80,000 $80,000 $0.68 $0.68 $0.68
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Productivity Calculator
This calculator compares the productivity costs of server -based computing with thin clients and well -managed rich clients. User types We calculate values based on productivity, costs, and proportion of representation of the following three user types: Light users who perform data entry or other low -demand tasks. Call-center staff and data entry workers are typical of these light or trans actional users. These groups use few applications to carry out repetitive tasks. Medium users who perform typical or medium-demand tasks. In general, medium-demand knowledge workers users run more applications, leaving mul tiple applications open simultaneously; these applications include Microsoft Office and complex line -of-business applications such as accounting and res ource planning applications. Heavy users who frequently perform productivity or high -demand tasks. Power users typically run applications, such as 3-D design applications and complex financial applications, that put a high demand on the server. Instructions To get ballpark estimates for the productivity costs of server -based computing with thin clients for your company, adjust the va lues in the orange fields on the Home tab to reflect your company’s user count and types. We’ve protected each sheet in the calculator and locked all but the orange, editable fields. If you want to remove that prote ction, select Tools/Protection/Unprotect sheet from the Excel 2003 menu. Default values We based our default client count for this calculator on an imaginary company that plans to convert 8,000 PCs to either server-based computing with thin clients or well managed rich clients. We based this company on the average North American company in the 2006 report, Measuring the Value of Intel® vPro™ Technology in the Enterprise , by Wipro Ltd. That report describes an average enterprise of 32,000 users at 40 sites running 102 applications. We base default values on assumptions about how that company would proceed with the client conversion. We estimate that the c ompany would provide thin clients for 8,000 (25 percent) of the users who are distributed equally across ten ( 25 percent) of the sites. We estimate that half of the users are light computer users and the other half typical or moderate users, and that there is a one -to-one ratio of users to clients. We estimate the average -user burdened salary at $80,000, with light users averaging less and medium users more. We seeded this cost calculator with data on this enterprise. We base the estimate of productivity loss on measurements of the responsiveness of server -based computing with thin clients and well-managed rich client platforms when carrying out typical tasks using standard business software. In recent presentation server testing, we found that tasks typical of medium and heavy users ran up to 60 percent more slowly on the server-based computing with thin clients platform than on the well -managed rich client platform running the s ame tasks locally. Slow response time hurts user productivity. We estimate here what, based on our recent presentation server testing, we think is a very conservative one percent average p roductivity loss for users of server-based computing. This estimate assumes an even mix of light and medium users; heavy users would encounter greater delays. We set the productivity loss for well-managed rich clients to 0 because they would run typical tasks locally and would not encounter these responsiveness problems. Adjust these numbers for your own enterprise. Your estimate would be lower if you have more light users, likely higher if you su pport proportionally more medium or heavy users. Light users would see little performance degradation because their tasks require minimal server resources while medium and heavy users would lose productive time multiple times daily while waiting for the access infrastructure servers to respond to their processor -intensive and bandwidth-demanding tasks.
Notes on tables in this calculator User productivity factors 1. We seed the Your enterprise column with the same values as in the Example enterprise column. To get ballpark estimates for the productivity costs of server-based computing with thin clients for your company, adjust the values in the orange fields to reflect your company’s user count and types. 2. We divide users into three categories based on whether they perform primarily low-, medium-, or high-demand tasks. 3. Percentage of the total number of client systems that this type of user will use. 4. Average (unburdened) salary for this type of user. 5. Average number of hours this type of user is active on the client system each day. We assume light users will have more active time, while medium and heavy users will be spending more time away from their client systems. 6. The estimate of the amount of time this type of user spends performing tasks that make a low, medium, or high demand on the resources of the computing platform. Light users spend most of their active time performing low-demand, transactional tasks. In some enterprises light users may spend some time running Microsoft Office and complex line-of-business applications or performing productivity tasks such as running computational-intensive reports. 7. Percentage of the total number of client systems that this type of user will use. 8. Average (unburdened) salary for this type of user. 9. Average number of hours this type of user is active on the client system. We assume light users will have less inactive time, while medium and heavy users will be spending more time away from their client systems. 10. The estimate for the amount of time this type of user spends performing low-, medium-, and high-demand tasks. Medium users likely spend most of their active time performing tasks using Microsoft Office and complex line-of-business applications, but will spend some time performing low-demand, transactional or high-demand, productivity tasks. 11. Percentage of the total number of client systems that this type of user will use. 12. Average (unburdened) salary for this type of user. 13. Average number of hours this type of user is active on the client system. We assume light users will have less inactive time, while medium and heavy users will be spending more time away from their client systems. 14. The estimate for the amount of time this type of user spends performing low-, medium-, and high-demand tasks. We estimate that heavy users likely spend about half their active time performing tasks using Microsoft Office and other line-of-business applications, but will spend most of the remainder of their time performing high-demand, productivity tasks.
Lost productivity for server-based computing with thin clients 1. Estimate of the amount of productive time lost during the time any user is performing low-demand transactional tasks such as entering and retrieving data. 2. Estimate of the amount of productive time lost during the time any user is performing medium-demand, typical tasks using office and line-of-business applications. 3. Estimate of the amount of productive time lost during the time any user is performing high-demand productivity tasks. Costs of lost user productivity for server-based computing with thin clients 1. Average number of working days per year for the users. 2. The additional cost to the enterprise of each user as a percentage of the user’s salary. This value includes medical insurance, 401K contributions, life insurance, and other benefits and costs. 3. Weights the percentage of time this user type spends on low-, medium-, and high-demand tasks by the lost productivity for each type task as shown in the Lost productivity for server-based computing with thin clients table. 4. Multiplies the value in the row above by the average number of hours users of this type work with client system each day by 60 minutes to get average daily minutes of lost user productivity. 5. Previous row times burdened rate per minute (from the next tab). 6. Sums, for all three types, the percentage of lost productivity per user times percentage of users of this type. 7. Sums, for all three types, the average daily cost of lost user productivity times percentage of users. 8. Average daily cost times number of working days per year. 9. Average annual cost of lost productivity per user times the number of users. Burdened end-user salaries 1. The user salaries on the previous tab multiplied by the burdened rate on that tab. 2. Divides the burdened salary by the number of working minutes in a year. Working minutes is number of working days times eight hours per day times 60 minutes per hour.