Cost Comparison for Business Decision-makers
Oracle Exadata Database Machine vs. IBM Power Systems
How to Weigh a Purchase Decision
October 2012

Download full report here

In this research-based  white paper conducted at the request of Oracle, The FactPoint Group compares the cost of ownership of the Oracle Exadata engineered system to a traditional build-your-own (BYO) solution, in this case an IBM Power 770 (P770) with SAN storage.  The IBM P770 was chosen given it is IBM’s current most popular model, based on FactPoint primary and secondary research and IBM claims, and because at least one of the interviewed customers had specifically migrated from a P770 to Exadata, affording us a more specific data point for comparison.

This research found that Oracle Exadata:

• Can be deployed more quickly and easily requiring 59% fewer man-hours than a traditional IBM Power Systems solution.
• Delivers dramatically higher performance typically up to 12X improvement, as described by customers, over their prior solution. 
• Requires 40% fewer systems administrator hours to maintain and operate annually, including quicker support calls because of less finger-pointing and faster service with a single vendor. 
• Will become even easier to operate over time as users become more proficient and organize around the benefits of integrated infrastructure.
• Supplies a highly available, highly scalable and robust solution that results in reserve capacity that make Exadata easier for IT to operate because IT administrators can manage proactively, not reactively.  Overall, Exadata operations and maintenance keep IT administrators from “living on the edge.”  And it’s pre-engineered for long-term growth.

Finally, compared to IBM Power Systems hardware, Exadata is a bargain from a total cost of ownership perspective:  Over three years, the IBM hardware running Oracle Database cost 31% more in TCO than Exadata.