by , 4:25 PM EDT, August 1st, 2007

The Macintosh, over time, has proven to have the best total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to other operating systems. In fact, there are eight financial components that suggest why corporations should be using Mac OS X, according to CIO Magazine on Wednesday.

The debate regarding the total cost of ownership has been around for a long time. It started about 15 years ago when the Gartner Group launched the concept. Since then, many studies have been done. Recently, computer security expert Winn Schwartau created a well known tool to assist companies measure their own TCO of Macs versus Windows PCs.

What's emerged from the study is something that's been suspected all along, namely that the security issues surrounding Windows is a significant part of the TCO and makes it twice as great as the Mac's.

Looking at the TCO in more detail, there are altogether eight major components that corporations should look at in the TCO calculation.

1. Macs cost about the same as PCs, but they are more scalable.
2. Mac servers don't have Microsoft's Client Access License (CALs) fees.
3. Macs generate fewer calls to the help desk.
4. Mac users are more productive.
5. Macs last longer.
6. Macs are more secure.
7. Macs are easier to administer.
8. Macs allow retention of investment in other OSes via virtualization.

What sets this article apart from others that discuss similar topics is the research behind it. Each of the eight components of the Mac TCO is backed up by contributions from experts who have industry experience. The fact that it was was published in CIO magazine gives it even more credibility, and Mac IT managers may be bookmarking and referring to this article by Jacqueline Emigh for some time to come.