Thin Client Price Isn’t the Reason to Replace PCs

Thin Client Overview

Thin client technology has been around for more than ten years. The technique is based on mainframe terminal access. These programs eventually became Unix X terminals, which offered a graphical user interface but not a Microsoft Windows environment. Thin clients, then a groundbreaking technology, were first launched in the 1990s. The key distinctions between thin clients and X terminals are the latter’s ability to run Windows and its usage of less expensive hardware (X terminals were not a cheap option). With thin clients, all programs may be run centrally as opposed to them being run locally on a PC. This is accomplished by a collection of servers that utilize the virtualization technology, which then transmits the relevant software service to the user across a network. The Thin Client price is frequently thought to be cheaper than that of actual PCs.

By keeping apps and data in the central environment rather than on individual PCs, modern thin clients duplicate the comfortable PC environment while being safer, simpler to upgrade, and data-protective. This implies that all information is still available even if a thin client fails, which is not feasible with standalone PCs. Today, thin clients are employed in a variety of business, governmental, and academic settings. Users are attracted by the equipment’s longer lifespan, easier maintenance, and lower operating expenses.

Thin Client Price vs. Conventional Desktop Price

Contrary to what some people think, the difference in price between a single thin client and a single conventional desktop computer isn’t much. If we look at the lower end of the thin client price range (which starts at around $250) and compare that with the lower end of the conventional PC price range, there won’t be much difference.

Where the Thin Client Price Advantage Truly Lies

The Thin Client price is not the real reason you should use them, as there are several other important benefits they offer. Making the shift from PCs to thin clients can be truly advantageous for companies. One of the greatest advantages of the shift has to be up to 25 percent of power savings. Additionally, thin clients have a longer lifecycle that boosts appeal and makes your organization an eco-friendly one.

Thin-clients consume 6 to 50 watts of electricity, while normal desktop computers consume 150 to 350 watts. Additionally, typical PCs have a three to four-year replacement cycle, while thin clients can last up to an average of seven years. This is because they have fewer points of failure and do not need constant upgrades. Lesser electricity consumption and a longer replacement cycle mean fewer carbon emissions and lower power costs.

Apart from the green advantage and power savings, organizations can also benefit greatly as thin clients reduce the IT help-desk’s management complexities. Usually, organizations that use thin clients generally handle the heavy lifting in their central servers, hence reducing the need to manage and maintain different endpoints placed throughout the organization manually.

Added to this fact is the security benefit of thin clients. If a thin client is stolen, data accessed through the thin client is still stored in a remote central server. IT administrators can quickly decommission such devices from a centralized server, thus preventing attackers from accessing critical company data.

Driving Costs Are Even Lower with Parallels RAS

Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS) adds more cost savings by simplifying application delivery from the server to thin-client endpoints. This enables IT teams to streamline their network operations and cut down man-hours needed to manage application delivery. Parallels RAS works seamlessly with all major thin-client vendors—including IGEL Technology, 10ZiG, Atrust, Centerm, and VXL—so you gain more flexibility to choose the thin clients that best meet your needs.

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