Using Thin Client Technology To Offset Costs

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Using Thin Client Technology To Offset Costs

10/24/2007

By Mike CarrBy , Bob Bair

Those of us old enough to remember the days of dumb terminals might attempt to pigeonhole thin clients into that category. But today's devices are as far more advanced than those 3270/VT100 terminals as today's computers are ahead of the original Apple II. Of course each has a processor and RAM along with onboard video and audio. They will also come in three basic flavors categorized by the operating system resident on the flash memory in the device. The most basic comes with a version of WinCE as the OS. More sophisticated versions have either a Linux load or Windows XP Embedded installation.

The key to all three categories is that there is no hard drive resident on the device. In fact, in nearly every example across all manufacturers there are no moving parts besides the keyboard and mouse. Each also has some sort of "write protect" built into the OS, so no changes can be made to the operating system on a permanent basis. Simply power cycle the device and everything is as it was when originally deployed.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is spearheading an initiative in the UNC system by deploying thin client devices in a number of different ways. These deployments include thin clients in standalone kiosks, as Web/e-mail stations, or in areas where data sensitivity is paramount (HIPPA, SSN). And when coupled with a backend infrastructure such as Citrix or VCL (Virtual Computer Lab, NSCU), these devices can be used in lab environments, as rapidly deployable workstations, even replacing PCs completely.

UNC Charlotte installed several thin clients in one of the campus cafes. Students are able to surf the Web, check their e-mail, and print to a library pay-for-print station while enjoying the café atmosphere. Thin Clients are also available throughout the Student Activity Center and the Campus Community Center in kiosk form. Students can log in to the portal, check their e-mail, or just surf the Web with these stations.

A student initiative for the new Psychology Doctorate program was instituted with 40 thin clients installed in student offices and a student "bullpen" common work area. These students have access to university-licensed applications via Citrix along with the ability to check their e-mail, surf the Web, and print to a shared printer. Additional units are scattered through the College of Education, College of Computing and Informatics, the College of Human and Health Services, Information & Technology Services, Admissions, and the Registrar's office for faculty/staff and student workers to use. Additional installations will be taking place. With the increasing accessibility of Web-based applications, the usefulness of thin clients continues to grow.

What are the advantages?

Reduced time to deployment - Since the thin clients have only onboard flash memory for the operating system, time required for configuration is reduced dramatically, in many cases on a generic environment it can simply be the time required to set the unit up. To increase this effectiveness a deployment server can be incorporated to speed deployment of a custom load.