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Theres no question about it, thin client computing is gaining ground. However, the amount of money that can actually be saved with a thin client solution depends upon two key factors: the management software and a well-matched combination of hardware and software.
Server-based computing, virtual desktops and cloud computing all of these technologies for economical provisioning of business applications have one thing in common: They all work most efciently in combination with thin clients. Since the 1990s the demand for these low-maintenance, energy-saving end-user devices that offer the advantage of easy, centralized administration has continued to increase. The prices for entrylevel models have continued to drop and have now reached a point where they are at least 50% cheaper than the purchase price of a typical workstation PC. But watch out! The product concepts and designs from different thin client manufacturers vary greatly, which is precisely why price itself should not be the sole factor in selecting a device. Instead, the selection should be based on overall cost effectiveness. After all, what we are really talking about here is nothing less than achieving a fundamental standardization of your workstation environment and sustained reduction in the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for your desktop units.
IGEL offers optional special free-standing device bases for its Universal Desktop models that contain a parallel or serial port and/or a WLAN socket. As additional expansion methods, IGEL also offers optional USB serial or USB parallel adapters as well as Y-cables for splitting a DVI connection (standard-equipment dualview).
The Price Factor: How Low Can You Go with the Price of a Thin Client?
The cost/benet ratio of a thin client solution is determined by two main factors: hardware and rmware. When it comes to hardware, it can be rst divided into three categories: lowcost, general-use and high-end. There are also different device designs, such as units having an integrated TFT monitor. IGELs Universal Desktop concept, with different levels of rmware, allows targeted, need-based and cost-efcient model selection. The rmware also includes the thin client operating system. The relatively inexpensive Microsoft Windows CE is particularly well suited for those using Microsoft-based architectures without any unusual peripheral devices. Models with Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard are a bit more expensive. However, they allow optional local installation of special device drivers or hypervisor software. For mixed system environments, models with a Linux operating system are well worth considering for the following reasons: low costs, highperformance and maximum stability and security. Furthermore, Linux offers high connectivity, which means that it allows a variety of ways of accessing centralized IT infrastructures. However, the exact number of possible ways depends on the specic features of the rmware in use.
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