For an experienced IT professional, putting together specifications for servers, considering all the parameters involved to generate an accurate price, should be straightforward and give the indication that a move to the cloud and manage ongoing costs would be a straightforward task to complete.
To support a cloud strategy there are many available tools that can help with planning and pricing a cloud environment
The truth is, that cloud planning is a more complicated affair, and the online tools – including those provided by Microsoft and Amazon do not give a true price.
When you start to break down the various elements of cloud pricing and maintenance, the real complexity of both undertaking a move to the cloud becomes clear.