Thin Clients, Fat Results - Advantages of Thin Client Computing In Virtual Environments
Posted on Thu, Apr 15, 2010
We're not sure if Wallis Simpson (the Duchess of Windsor) had it right when she famously said, "A woman can't be too rich or too thin," but when it comes to business and computing, the Duchess was spot on.
Certainly, there's no such thing in commerce as too much profit.
And, with Wyse thin client (and even zero client) computing, the benefits of "thin" are in, in ample supply.
Shed worries, not services with thin client
Thin client computing, where data, operating system, and applications all reside on a server in the data center and are delivered to users via the Web, improves security, manageability, availability, reliability, scalability, and reduces total cost of ownership.
Thin client computing is flexible too, running on UNIX/Linux, HTML apps, Microsoft Windows Terminal Services, Citrix Applications Delivery, and VMware VDI, or even combinations of these operating systems.
Users interface with their desktops as if they were PCs, virtually unaware they're working in a virtual environment (unless the Red Sea parts again and somehow users actually notice how much more reliable you've made their IT systems).
Security
Thin clients don't have a local storage device; without one, there is no place for viruses and other malware to reside. Protect the server and you've protected all your users' devices, whether a handful of them or a global enterprise's worth.
Without a local storage device containing data, the risk of losing data to thievery or falling out of compliance with privacy regulations likewise is reduced. When the time comes to upgrade, update, or maintain security software, it's all done in the data center.
Manageability
Everything from configuring users' desktops to deploying new software gets simpler to manage with thin clients. Backups are a breeze because IT manages it in the data center, no more worries that units have been left disconnected and thus miss the backup cycle. And, with updates delivered centrally to the server version control is maintained for every desktop in your inventory.
Availability
Absent any moving parts and armed with solid-state technology, Wyse thin clients never really fail to deliver the data users need. The servers hold the data and keep viruses and malware at bay.
No cooling fans and no disk drives means thin clients are nine times more reliable than PCs. The reliability of the entire IT infrastructure gains dramatically as a result.
Total Cost of Ownership
No mechanical parts to fail, none to maintain; no place for malicious code to reside, none to remove. And, fewer cooling fans use less electricity reducing your carbon footprint and your electric bill. Research shows that thin clients can cost as much as 40 percent less--some $1,000 per seat per year.
Scalability
For growing enterprises, thin client computing takes all the trouble out of deploying new units to users. Plug in three or four cables on-site and everything else is configured and delivered from the data center, saving time and money.
If your environment is already, or will soon be, virtual it's difficult to think of a reason not to adopt thin client computing.
Cost savings are substantial at every juncture in the delivery of IT services to the desktop; security is improved; management of the infrastructure is simplified, and enhanced, at the same time; and as your organization grows, your costs in time and resources to bring another user online are as minimal as they can be.
Is your company considering implementing thin client computing? What are your main concerns? Leave your comments below and let's get the conversation going!