Thin Client computing
Published August 6, 2007 at 12:12 pm · Filed under Comms / IT
A number of factors are combining to boost the appeal of thin client computing. James Goulding reports
“A perfect storm” is how Simon Schouten, Sun desktop business development manager, describes the accumulation of factors that are driving interest in thin client computing or, as Sun likes to call its variation, virtual display technology. Amongst others, these include concern over Vista upgrades and the PC replacement cycle, climate change, energy costs/shortages and security.
Although there are differences between Sun’s technology and thin client solutions from Sun, Citrix, Wyse, HP, IGEL etc., all are based on the idea that it is better to run applications centrally rather than at the desktop.
Wyse’s strategy is to deliver a PC-like end user experience while making devices on the end of the network as thin as possible.
A typical thin client installation consists of a server (running normal business applications); a desktop device attached to a keyboard, monitor and speakers; and software that enables a business to run multiple users off one server, such as Microsoft Terminal Services; Citrix Access Essentials for small and medium-sized businesses; and VMWare’s Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), which creates a number of virtual machines on a server, each of which effectively acts as an individual PC.
Although they operate in different ways, all these solutions concentrate computing power at the server end, so there is no need for powerful devices at the desktop: all that’s required is a simple device that can send and receive display information, keyboard entries and mouse clicks.
These could be old, low performance PCs or, to gain the maximum benefit from the technology, very simple thin client devices that have no moving parts, take up little room, consume a fraction of the power of a PC, are silent, don’t generate heat, are inherently secure and cost less to buy.
Schouten estimates that an installation with a backend server and 200 Sun Ray 2s (with monitor and keyboard) would cost in the region of £450 per seat. David Angwin, senior marketing manager at Wyse Technology, argues that prices for software and servers have fallen to such an extent that thin client computing is now viable for 10-20 seats.
Low running costs
More significant than the initial purchase price is the low total cost of ownership (TCO).
“The cost of managing a thin client environment is significantly lower than the cost of managing PCs. There are some savings in capital costs, but the biggest cost savings come from on-going support and maintenance. Organisations will typically see a 50-70% cost reduction in delivering applications to users,” Angwin explained.
Sun’s Simon Schouten says that its tiny Sun Ray 2 device removes all management requirements from the desktop, which is a real benefit to businesses that have just migrated to XP and are now considering the move to Windows Vista. Because software changes are made at the server, just one administrator is required to manage 2,000 desktops.
In addition, thin clients last much longer than PCs, which allows users to miss one or even two PC replacement cycles. Schouten claims that Sun’s tiny Sun Ray 2 device has a Mean Time Between failure (MTBF) of 22 years and that there are Sun customers who have been using the same Sun Ray for 8 years.
Low energy consumption
These significant benefits are dovetailing with growing interest in green computing. With power consumption of 4, 5 or 6 watts, thin clients consume less than 10% of the power of the most energy efficient PCs. “Even when you consider the energy being used by the server it’s at least a 70% reduction in power consumption, which leads to lower power bills and a smaller carbon footprint,” Angwin explained.
Angwin argues that these drivers have coincided with a gradual whittling down of people’s objections to thin client computing on performance grounds.
“Traditionally there has been a noticeable difference in the user experience on a PC and thin clients, usually around multimedia. But Wyse and Citrix have put a lot of effort into this area and there are now solutions that let you do some quite sophisticated multimedia including streaming video to a thin client that wasn’t possible before,” he said. “We are making the thin client experience closer and closer to a PC so that people don’t know how the applications are being delivered, they just work and at a decent speed.”
Another development that is helping to remove people’s preconceptions about thin client computing is the growing number of application delivery solutions, notably VMWare’s Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Citrix’s Action Essentials. “The fact that people now have a choice gives them confidence that this is a mainstream solution,” Angwin suggested.
Sun, too, is extending the reach of its technology through initiatives like the Secure Global Desktop which gives browser connectivity to central servers from non-Sun Ray devices. It is also encouraging third parties to develop new applications including Sun Ray laptops with 3G wireless connectivity and PDA Sun Ray devices for use on factory floors, for example. Some Sun partners have even started to sell Sun Ray as a service to small businesses with Sun Rays connected to remote servers over broadband.
According to IDC, the European market for thin clients grew by about 17% last year. Currently about 8% of corporate desktops are thin clients, but this figure is likely to rise as more businesses embrace enhancements to the technology to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
For more info visit www.wyse.com
