A major hidden cost is the additional equipment, systems and services that are required but not taken into account. For instance, the Veeder Root TCP/IP Card 330020-425 requires:
A fixed public IP address or Dynamic DNS service - $60-$80 per month.
A Veeder Root Certified Technician for installation - $400-$600.
An IT person to setup port forwarding in the router - $400-$600.
A firewall or VPN. This requires additional purchases, installation and maintenance. $400-$600 in labor alone.
Software or a service to communicate with the Tank Gauge to process and display the Tank Gauge information. $20-$150 per site per month.
The maintenance costs are also high because any changes to the Tank Gauge and router or the Internet service can trigger a site visit to reconfigure the Tank Gauge communication. Experience shows an average of 2 technician visits per site per year, just to maintain communications! ($800-$1,200).
These "hidden" costs are not taken into account because the maintenance and installation efforts are ignored or underestimated, or it is assumed that these costs cannot be avoided. Excuses that these costs "come out of someone elses budget" or "we already have in house technicians who are already being paid so it doesn't cost anything" hide the costs until eventually someone analyses spending.
Adding the Kachoolie's Firewall Autoconfigurator saves money. It eliminates maintenance costs, and adds Cyber Security without the expense of firewalls and VPN's. It also ensures that connecting the Tank Gauge to the Internet does NOT add vulnerabilities to the store or the corporate infrastructure.
