You guys are all freaking out about what something costs to BUY, not what it COSTS to OWN!! If my IT infrastructure environment consists of 7 manufacturers hardware....how much time and effort does it take to support this over a single vendor environment over the life of those solutions? What kind of features do I get that I can ONLY get from a single vendor environment that a multi-vendor environment cant provide? What kind of discounts can I get on procuring hardware from a single manufacturer over buying from 4, 5, 6, 7 manufacturers?

I think people are getting hung up on TCA (Total Cost of Aquisition) and forgetting completely about TCO ( Total Cost of Ownership) which is a more true evaluation of ANY products cost.

Another automotive analogy: I think Consumer Reports is now producing for the first time ever a TCO calculation for each car it reviews. They have determined you can buy a Ford Explorer for $3000 cheaper than a Toyota Highlander, but the Highlander will be $6,000 cheaper over the life to own when, repairs, depreciation, downtime, etc are factored in.

Just food for thought.