Thin Client
Small Business IT – Why Thin Clients Fit in Small Business
Introduction
Many small businesses are on a tight budget and scrambling to find ways to reduce costs. With IT often at the head of the line of budget cuts, what can the smart small business do to reduce IT overhead while keeping vital IT services available? One answer is using thin clients.
Using thin client architecture can do all of the following:
- Reduces your overall IT TCO
- Reduces your energy consumption by 30-50% (or more)
- Reduces equipment investment costs
- Reduces end-user training costs
- Reduces IT support costs
- Reduces network bandwidth usage
- Reduces data loss by centralizing storage
- Reduce data theft opportunities
- Reduces viruses and malware
- Eliminates the need for remote office servers
- Eliminates rogue software installations
- Increases network reliability
- Increases network performance
- Increases network scalability
- Simplifies network management
- Centralizing storage makes for easy backup and archiving
- Increases network security
- Increases network availability using fault tolerance and load balancing
- Increased hardware lifespan (7-10 years for a TC compared to 3-4 years for a PC)
- Adds desktop standardization
- Adds software license management controls
This whitepaper will look at how thin client architectures can be a perfect fit in today’s small business environment.
Thin Clients Defined
A thin client is essentially a stripped down computer in a client-server network which depends on centralized servers for processing and data storage activities. Often, the only software that is on the thin client is a thin OS like Windows CE or just a web browser used for generating the user interface. A remote desktop application is used for accessing the server across the network. The majority of the processing and storage functions are no longer on the client. The servers will be doing almost all of the heavy lifting.
Thin client technology originally started out as text based “dumb terminals.” From there the evolution of the client server architecture advanced to “graphical terminals,” then the popular X-Terminals of the 1990’s. Soon after that, Microsoft and Citrix came out with WinFrame which used Microsoft Windows NT v3.51 to allow multiple users to run applications from the same server. Later, Microsoft released a special version of NT 4.0, the Terminal Server Edition, or TSE.
Client server architecture never quite caught on though. Much of the hesitation to adopt the technology was related to falling cost of PC hardware and the markets greater familiarity with tried and true PCs. Still the technology continues to advance and mature.
There are three main components to thin client architecture:
1) A multi-user server Operating System which allows many users to log onto and work concurrently using applications accessible in protected sessions or “sandboxes.”
2) A thin client which may or may not have an onboard thin OS is used to connect to the server over the network. Some thin clients may only have a flash-memory based web browser installed. A thin client may not have any software installed and these are called “zero clients.”
3) A network protocol such as ICA or RDP creates the communication efficiency of thin clients by compressing the data and only using the minimum network resources needed. For the most part only keystrokes and screen refreshes pass over the network drastically reducing the amount of bandwidth necessary.
Thin clients do not have hard drives and therefore cannot save data on the local desktop. However, it should be noted that it is possible for a user with the proper security rights to transfer data to either a USB flash drive or SD card. Again, only if the users server account permits access to those ports otherwise the ports are disabled.
The architecture is simple yet very robust. Since all of the processing and data storage stays on the server, the network can potentially support more thin clients than it could PC clients. Today’s thin clients are a mature technology that is still evolving.
Thin Client Trends
Thin client technology in the past few years has been greatly advanced with virtual servers. Using virtual server technologies like VMware or Hypervisor to consolidate your applications onto fewer servers adds to thin client cost savings. As mentioned before there are now “zero clients” which require virtually no client management because they have no software onboard. These thin clients are totally reliant on their network connection to a server.
Security is another area where thin clients excel. There is no application data stored on the thin client which reduces the risk of physical data theft. Viruses and malware detection is needed on the server as the clients are generally immune. However, new virtual machine software technology is on the way which takes the server OS out of the equation meaning greater server performance and security. Access restrictions to USB ports, SD cards, and external CD/DVD hardware further increase security. Also, the thin client hardware itself is not a tempting target for thieves because outside of the client server environment it has no real value.
Thin clients having been successfully using wireless technologies for years. And as wireless technologies continue to improve with lower packet loss rates and greater bandwidth and security, thin clients become an even better answer.
Thin Client Benefits
Thin clients take advantage of a number of efficiencies. They have a very small footprint which allows them to be wall-mounted or attached to the back of their monitor. There are even thin clients that are built into wall-mounted jack outlets. Thin clients typically use only 1/3 of the power a PC uses and requires less workspace cooling due to less heat being generated. This adds up to savings on your company’s electricity and air conditioning costs. Thin clients simplify your network by requiring far less administration and end-user support than traditional PC clients. Since most thin clients have no moving parts to wear out the average thin client can last 7 to 10 years compared to a PC which may only last 3 to 4 years. Most of the support costs in client server architecture are server related. Updates, upgrades and all other software related administration is performed without having to visit a single client system. Best of all, thin clients are less expensive that PCs. While some of the savings gets eaten up in added server costs, overall, thin clients are a far more cost effective solution in the long run.
The most compelling reason for your company to use thin client architecture is to reduce your overall IT Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). A number of years ago, Bloor Research released the findings of a study which showed that companies migrating to thin clients could expect a 60-70% reduction in their IT overhead costs. This was followed by a Gartner Group study which indicated that a company could expect to have a measurable and significant Return On Investment (ROI) within six months of migration to thin clients.
Because there are no applications installed on the thin client, software licensing costs are controlled. All of your software licenses are managed on the servers so you don’t pay for unused licenses. Or the reverse of not having licenses available when you need them.
There is also a substantial cost savings when buying thin clients compared to PCs. The average thin client costs $150 to $350. Thin client costs are relatively fixed with the thin client terminal, an LCD monitor, keyboard, and a mouse. Compare that to the average base cost of a business PC which is approximately $400. Next, add the OS and application costs. Then add the time cost to configure the PC to work on your network, and maintaining & repairing the PC throughout its lifespan. That can bring the average cost of a business PC to well over $1,500 or more. And remember, that is per user.
Migrating Your Current Network
When migrating your existing network over to thin client architecture you will need to answer a number of questions up front. Some of the key issues which will need to be addressed include:
- Review the inventory of all your current network assets. (servers, desktops, printers, etc.)
- Evaluate your LAN / WAN / Internet / Remote Access: speed, stability, reliability, security, etc.
- Inventory and confirm the status of all your software licenses.
- Confirm that all the applications you need will perform properly in a client server environment.
- Confirm that your applications are Virtual Server compatible.
- Choose appropriately sized servers for the network and your applications.
- Determine the storage requirements for the network and applications.
- Choose the server operating systems.
- Choose the network protocols for use locally and for any remote systems.
- Decide how much of your network you are going to migrate over to thin clients at first.
Yet another benefit of thin client system is that they can make use of your existing PCs while you are in transition. Using your existing newer PC’s as thick/thin clients lets you continue to maximize your IT investment while moving towards a technology with even more savings potential. With thin clients, almost nothing is wasted.
After answering those questions, and many more, you will start to get a clearer picture of what will need to be done in order to migrate to thin client architecture. These steps will also help you map out the existing systems End-of-Life (EoL) timing. Knowing this allows you to plan your thin client investment around a timeline based on when your existing investment has reached your expected Return On Investment (ROI).
Summary
With almost every business being forced into making cutbacks, starting with, or migrating to, a thin client architecture can provide your company with substantial savings on critical IT services. Thin clients will reduce your companies Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), reduce its energy consumption, simplify its management while increasing its security, and make it more flexible and reliable.
About the Author
Mark H. Jessen has been an independent San Francisco Bay Area small business IT consultant for over 10 years offering a wide range of planning and implementation skills that help small and medium sized business’s increase their efficiency and profitability. He is also available for speaking engagements on this and other SMB IT topics. For more information visit: http://mhjessen.com
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