How Do You Charge?

What Multiplier Do You Use?

Some companies charge per user, others per machine, and some use a combination of the two. We have even seen some that simply determine a monthly rate and stick with it for an entire year. That method confuses me because machine counts can swing dramatically, both positive and negative, depending on company growth or downsizing.

At Run Networks, we generally charge per computer unless there is a specific reason to charge per user or use a blended model. For example, if an office has significantly more users than computers, it may not make sense to charge by computer. In that case, we make different arrangements.

One thing to consider when charging by device is multiple machines per user. Sometimes, a user may have up to four devices, with three of them running Windows. In that case, we manage three computers and charge for three computers. We match our multiplier of cost to our multiplier of charges as closely as possible. So, three computers per user would result in three charges. We will also typically try to help users streamline their configurations to avoid unnecessary duplicate machines.