The real cost of creating and maintaining a new website can be hard to estimate even for the best among Drupal professionals. By using the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) methodology, organizations can ensure that both direct and indirect expenses of operating a website are considered and calculated rather than just emphasize on the initial spending. In this article we are going to take a look at what are the Drupal costs of owning a website versus using a proprietary software.

There are some key considerations to decide on before diving into building a website:

1. Open Source vs. Proprietary License
2. Creating and Managing Web Content
3. Re-designing and Updating Content
4. Future Upgrades and Longevity
5. Long Term Savings

Custom Code - a necessity of the past?