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Thin-Client Computing from HP |
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HP’s thin-clients improve security and simplify IT management. Thick on benefits, thin on total cost of ownership, thin-client or server-based computing from HP reduces the total cost of ownership for call centers, healthcare, insurance, retail, education and financial services applications. This article examines the server-based computing model to help determine if this type of computing environment is right for your business.
By Ben Bradley
First, what is thin-client computing?
An HP thin-client is a solid-state desktop computing device that has no hard drive, no fan and runs little or no local application software. All processing is handled by the server. While the price difference between thin-clients and PCs has diminished in recent years, thin-clients have a longer lifecycle than PCs, and therefore do not need to be replaced as often. They can be used as dumb terminals until they are obsolete, providing a refresh cycle of five years or more.
Too much freedom for users?
Travis Brown, Product Manager for HP’s Thin Client Solution quickly points out that despite the minor cost advantages, there are trade-offs between thin and fat-clients (desktop PCs). In a fat-client network, software runs locally. Individual users have different levels of control and freedom. They can load their own software, download software, access the web, customize applications, modify the desktop and take those applications on the road. “For many users,” said Brown, “these freedoms are important and these same users would probably not be good candidates for the thin-computing model.”
On the other hand, for the IT manager, these freedoms add complexity and with complexity come additional security woes and higher support costs.
With server-based computing, applications are managed at a central server for a lower cost but allow less freedom for users. Therefore, thin-client computing is not a one-size fits all model. For instance; thin-client computing is not recommended for knowledge workers or situations where users need a high-degree of flexibility, access to a broad range of applications or are highly mobile.
Also, applications that require significant processing such as CAD/CAM, video editing and page layout/illustration are not suited for thin-client applications.
Because thin-clients are totally dependent on the server, network connectivity should be constant and reliable. Without reliable connectivity, users have no access to critical applications and therefore will not be productive.
Server based computing makes sense if you plan to replace older terminals, or for workers using intranet applications or legacy ERP and groupware. In these scenarios, thin-clients deliver everything users need, but cost much less to deploy and manage than PCs.
Consolidation a big advantage
“Consolidation is the biggest benefit of thin-client computing,” said Brown. Consolidation removes applications from the user's hard drive. This puts them on the server where they can be centrally secured, backed up and updated. For ease of management, updates are controlled centrally, at the server, not on numerous individual desktops.
Brown believes that the thin-client model, when deployed in right situations, dramatically reduces maintenance and support costs. It also improves reliability and security without increasing support budgets. Consolation creates other significant benefits as well.
For example, each user accesses storage from a shared pool which can be scaled-up or down depending on the demands. Since processing power is also centralized, it can be dialed-up quickly to meet increased demands.
The HP thin-client computing model utilizes PC blades and servers located in the data center. These centralized devices are easy to upgrade.
Reduced complexity is good
Thin-clients reduce network and complexity. For example, if a call center employee only needs data look-up and entry, then only those applications can be made available. Again, this reduces the complexity of the network and improves productivity. User settings are stored centrally, so changing a single user’s details is a trivial operation.
Consolidation increases security
The thin-client computing model centralizes an enterprise’s most vulnerable technologies in the data center where they can be most effectively controlled and protected from exposure to the outside world and at the user level. A locked-down computing environment eliminates threats by restricting users from installing software or using the computer for non-work related tasks.
Centralized management allows lock-down of USB ports. That means data does not go out the door on a thumb-drive or stolen laptop. For IT managers in regulated industries such as banking or healthcare, thin-clients provide greater assurance that a hard drive containing confidential data cannot be misplaced or stolen.
Enterprise computing networks require effective protection against computer viruses and other security issues. These security breaches result in service calls, downtime and loss of business-critical data. When compared to the traditional unmanaged PC network model, the HP thin-client computing model yields a less vulnerable segregated approach to computing with substantially better recovery time, while minimizing total cost of ownership (TCO).
According to an ICSA Labs virus analysis, the average downtime lost during an encounter was 23 person days. This down time accounted for data loss recovery and patching the connected network servers and PCs. With the HP thin-client computing model, exposure to virus attack on the thin-client system is over 80% less likely than with a standard Windows PC. This means that users are likely to experience significantly less downtime due to security vulnerabilities than a PC user. In addition, since no user data resides on the thin-client, there is no risk of user data loss on the thin-client. Finally, if a thin-client’s image is compromised or corrupted, the recovery time is typically measured in minutes instead of hours.
The HP thin-client computing model utilizes PC blades and/or servers located in the data center. These centralized devices can be protected and monitored more easily with centrally managed virus and firewall tools. Compromised resources can be quickly taken offline, corrected, or recovered faster and cheaper than distributed PC resources.
This model also allows a user’s data to be segregated and centralized for easy backup and recovery, ensuring a higher level of service and security for users at a lower TCO than distributed PC resources.
The risk of physical theft is also reduced. The thin-client has virtually no value if the device itself is stolen. With no moving parts, no hard-drive, limited applications and reliance on a central server, the device has value only when part of the network.
Software and licensing simplified
In a traditional fat-client network, tracking which desktops are running which applications and matching that usage with various license agreements is a complex task. Since all applications are installed and run at a central location, tracking access to applications becomes easier.
HP includes a license management framework that gives users access to only those applications they have permission to access. Administrators can manage and track license utilization and generate reports about license compliance. These reporting features also improve understanding of upgrade requirements.
Easier management
Thin-clients centralize network management at the server, allowing IT managers to deploy applications quickly and significantly reduce the support burden by eliminating the need to trouble-shoot configurations at the desktop.
According to Brown, the same level of control is possible in a fat-client (PC) network, “yet, achieving the same results would require a desktop management solution across the entire network. This type of fat-client control involves the installation of additional software and another layer of infrastructure management.”
HP provides a single solution for the complete management of thin-clients that addresses the full spectrum of systems management including initial inventory capture, change and configuration management, asset management and problem resolution.
This software is offered standard with most HP thin-clients and enables easier setup and maintenance of HP thin-clients. Of major thin-client manufacturers, only HP offers enterprisesthe ability to manage thin-clients, PCs and servers from the same management solution.
Longer hardware life
Thin-clients are less likely to break. They have no moving parts. If a standard PC upgrade cycle is three years, thin-clients can be upgraded every five years – adding significantly to the TCO. Since thin-clients are small, light devices with no moving parts, they can be deployed quickly. With few or no moving parts, the MTBF (mean time between failure) average 170,000 hours-compared to 20,000 to 40,000 hours for the average PC.
In the unlikely event of failure, users can simply plug in a new thin-client and resume work within minutes. Thin-client networks reduce your long-term hardware costs and lengthen the upgrade cycle because memory and storage are centralized at the server and not on users' desks.
Administration costs drop
In fat networks, when hardware breaks, manual intervention is usually required. More often than not, fat network support issues are caused by software. In a thin-client environment, users cannot download or install new software. This reduces support costs.
“The big savings come in reduced needs for maintenance, help-desk expertise and other IT staffing requirements,” said Brown. With thin-clients, applications reside on a central server. For resource constrained IT teams, this makes it easy to upgrade and maintain critical applications since hardware and software upgrades are required on only a comparatively small number of servers (instead of all end-user PCs) While thin-clients may require minor software updates, but this software can be pushed to each end-point from the server and managed without physically visiting each machine.
While thin-clients may result in increased productivity, businesses need to deploy them in the right place and at the right time, and clearly explain to end users why the technology is being put in place. This requires support from top management.
The affordability, reliability and manageability offered by HP thin-clients means IT managers from companies of all sizes should take a closer look at how a thin-client computing model could increase the return on IT investments for their company.
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