- [Instructor] Have you ever heard
of the total cost of ownership or TCO?
TCO is highly relevant to our discussion
of open source products.
On the surface, open source software,
that is also free, appears to be a fantastic deal.
However, there are many hidden costs
when you take a closer look.
Just like anything in this world
software applications have lifespans or life cycles.
We purchase and introduce them to production environment
that is comparable to a person being born.
Ample support is necessary especially in the beginning
because of all the rough edges to be smoothed out
for the software to be fully integrated
into its environment.
The users also need support in the form of training
on how to use the software properly.
As I mentioned, in the previous lesson,
end user support is problematic
unless you have a dedicated and knowledgeable team
managing your open source software internally.
When using a commercial product,
you can shift much of these support costs
to vendors like Microsoft.
Considering the cost incurred during its entire life cycle,
free and open source solutions may cost you more
than merely using a third party offering commercial software
and technical support.
Because of this reality
many open source providers also offer technical support
and make a profit.
Therefore you should always consider taking advantage
of user support options,
whether the software of your choice is open source or not.
Despite the TCO,
open source is still an excellent choice
when you're starting to build your cyber security
infrastructure
and want to evaluate different options
before settling on one.
If you already have in-house expertise
all you have to do is download, install and try it
without worrying about speaking with sales representatives.
My job in this course is to help you develop your knowledge
in some of the most popular
open source cybersecurity solutions
so that you minimize your TCO.