Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) The business world, where multiyear budgeting and planning are common, looks upon technology as a tool to increase productivity. Business models can calculate an approximate "total cost of ownership (TCO)" for technology initiatives through formulas that incorporate not only expenditures on hardware and software but increases in productivity and efficiency. These formulas are difficult to adapt to school settings, however, for uses and outcomes are quite different. Each school setting has its own requirements and no one formula will work for all schools. Consider the factors related to building modification, professional development, hardware and software, support and maintenance, and connectivity. These factors will impact the total cost of ownership of your technology programs. Did You Know? The Institute for the Advancement of Emerging Technologies in Education (IAETE) has developed an online K12 TCO Calculator. Based on the work of the Integrated Education Technology Group, this calculator allows you to input school data and view cost projections for the implementation of your technology plan over a five-year period. The calculator will allow you to change parameters and view their effect prior to actually investing your technology dollars.