The Microsoft Server Virtualization Calculator compares the cost of virtualizing applications on Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V to VMware vSphere 5.1. The calculator follows a simple methodology by considering the software acquisition and support costs for a server virtualization solution^*.

By using this calculator, you will see how the licensing and pricing models differ between Microsoft and VMware and, in particular, how they will impact the Return on Investment you are making today and long into the future.

^*Datacenter costs include operational costs (OPEX) in addition to hardware and infrastructure (CAPEX) and software costs. While, VMware traditionally has focused on CAPEX savings through server consolidation, Microsoft has been helping customers reduce both OPEX (through self-service, automation, and other management capabilities in System Center) and CAPEX (server consolidation through Hyper-V). Microsoft has published research that shows customers running Hyper-V and System Center spend 24% less on IT labor, on an on-going basis, than customers using either ESX or vSphere.

In this calculator, we compare only the software acquisition and support costs based on published list prices.Calculating accurate capital and operational costs require making several assumptions that might not be valid for your individual datacenter environments.