This white paper challenges the perception that free or open-source storage or data-management software reduces cost. It breaks down hidden expenses such as operational overhead, fragmented tooling, lack of enterprise support, integration complexity, downtime risk, and long-term maintenance burdens. It argues that “free” solutions often require more engineering effort, create modernization barriers, and increase security and reliability risks. The paper encourages evaluating total cost of ownership—including personnel, compliance, resilience, and scalability—rather than only licensing cost when selecting strategic data platforms.

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