While the traditional desktop PC or laptop is still used as the most popular option in business, there are other options that might serve your needs better. The thin client is another option that’s growing in popularity. Essentially, a thin client is a bare-bones computer that serves to remote into a server, which handles all the computational load that the local computer (“fat client”) normally handles.
Thin clients have several pros, but a few cons to consider as well. Here’s the information you need to know to help decide if thin clients are right for your business.
Pros of Thin Clients
Let’s look at the various ways that thin clients can improve your infrastructure.
Space saving and (sometimes) more durable
Thin clients are, as the name would imply, physically tiny. This means that in areas where you don’t have a lot of space to work with, thin clients can provide a user with access to a machine without taking up much room. In addition, since thin clients hand off the heavy lifting to a server, they don’t require as much “breathing room” for the fans to cool the internals of the machine.
If your business has work-spaces in an industrial environment where dust and debris might hamper the function of a normal computer, a thin client could be the right choice.
Lower Costs
In some applications, using thin clients will save you money in the long run. Because they have few internal parts, there aren’t many ways that a thin client could physically break. In addition, they are easy to plug in and set up, which saves you IT costs.
You’ll experience longer lifespans with thin clients, too. With no moving internal parts and the fact that operating system/software is handled on the server, these take far longer to become outdated than a typical PC.
You’ll experience longer lifespans with thin clients, too. With no moving internal parts and the operating system/software handled on the server, these take far longer to become outdated than a typical PC. And when it is time to do an upgrade, every thin client is automatically upgraded with the server that it is connecting to.
More Security
Users accidentally installing malware or otherwise compromising your systems is always a threat with dedicated PCs. Using thin clients, users only have access to the server (which they need to be connected to in order to use their computer) via a network connection, which you control. Thus, you can define strict rules for security to ensure that malware and other problems are kept out.
Since all activity is centered in one place, it’s easy to keep an eye on what’s happening and shut down any suspicious activity immediately.
Easier to Manage
When every employee has their own computer, your IT department has to deal with the possibilities of every computer running into an issue (whether with hardware or software). Using thin clients, everyone remotely connects to a server (or multiple servers), which makes for less time spent on setup, running Windows Updates, and fixing common issues.
Again, everything being centrally located means your infrastructure runs more efficiently. In addition, when thin clients do need to be replaced, they can be easily swapped for another machine and it only takes a moment to plug in the keyboard, mouse, and monitor into the new one. All of the data is stored on the server, meaning that you don’t lose anything if a thin client is destroyed in a disaster or stolen.
Energy Efficiency
Since they’re smaller, thin clients consume far less power than normal PCs. They also produce less heat than a desktop or laptop. Because they have a longer lifespan and don’t need to be replaced as often, as well as fewer mechanical parts replaced, there is less reason for old components that must be thrown away. This all leads to a more “green” operation for you, which is valued in today’s business world!
Our new installation of thin client computing technology across the business is working great plus 97% energy saving #savingtheplanet
— Norish Limited (@NorishLimited) October 22, 2015
Cons of Thin Clients
Of course, it can’t all be good news. Here are some drawbacks to think about when considering the implementation of thin clients.
Single Point of Failure (maybe)
While the centralization of clients brings a lot of positives, it also implies a big potential risk: the server that the thin clients connect to is a single point of failure. If the server goes down, all clients that connect to it will be affected.
This means that you must prepare for the worst. By backing up regularly (which you should be doing anyway) and holding redundant hardware that can kick in to replace a downed server, you can downplay most of the potential negatives associated with this con. With some preparation, a server crash can be mitigated and will only have a minor effect on performance.
You can avoid the risk of having a single point of failure by adding a second terminal server. With this extra layer in place, should one server fail, the other will kick in and prevent outages. And you can split the load between multiple servers to improve performance.
You Must Have Powerful Servers
Since the thin clients rely on the server to do their work, you must have high-quality servers or performance will likely be poor. Even if you already have servers, configuring them to handle thin client loads requires specific hardware — meaning you may have to upgrade your current equipment, which can have a large initial cost.
Subject to Network Issues
On a local machine, a user working in Excel or other desktop software can still work when there is a network slowdown or high usage. Users of a thin client, however, can’t work without their connection to the server.
In other words, having a reliable network is important to keep your employees doing what it is that you are paying them to do. If your local network is already slow, then upgrades may be necessary before making operation critical processes reliant on an inadequate network infrastructure.
They Are Not Adequate for Some Users
For users who only need to occasionally check email, access Web content, look up parts or manuals, or punch in/out of time-card trackers, thin clients won’t have any problem handling their needs. But engineers, graphic designers, and others who often work with multimedia content or graphic-intensive software might be limited by a thin client. If software like AutoCAD or Photoshop is commonly used by your employees, a thin client probably won’t be the right investment.
Weighing Your Options
You might feel overwhelmed if you’re learning about thin clients for the first time, but don’t worry! It’s simply a matter of knowing your users and what kind of work they need to do that will help you decide if thin clients are right for your company. Remember, you don’t need to run thin clients for everyone, just those that would benefit from them.
Thinking about thin clients but not sure how to get started? We can help. Contact us for a completely free IT assessment and we’ll help you decide if thin clients are a smart choice for your business.