The desktop diet

By Heiko Gloge

Heiko Gloge, Managing Director and Partner at IGEL Technology answers Business Management’s questions on why thin clients are the desktops of the future.

“Thin clients use much less energy than PCs and can cut CO2 emissions by up to 52 percent.”
-Heiko Gloge

What exactly is a “thin client”?

Heiko Gloge. Thin clients are the modern form of personal Computers and terminals. They provide access to applications running elsewhere on a network and have a keyboard, mouse and user experience just like a PC. Thin clients can be used for a wide variety of tasks including word processing, email, data processing, voice and multi-media. They are available as desktop, mobile and all-in-one LCD integrated devices. Unlike a PC, thin clients do not run applications and store no data; they simply collect keystrokes, mouse clicks or audio/video input from the user and display the application interface.

What are the advantages of a thin client over a PC?

HG. Since applications are deployed centrally on a server, the whole IT infrastructure becomes far easier and less time consuming to manage. There is far less to manage or misconfigure on a thin client and their remote management software dramatically reduces IT support desktop visits. The total cost of desktop ownership is dramatically lower and IT budgets can typically be reduced by 25 percent or more since less “fire fighting” is needed. Data is far more secure since it is centralised and backed-up, thus offering compliance with the many data protection regulations. No moving parts and no local hard disk make thin clients resistant to viruses and very reliable. The average lifetime of a thin client can be up to eight years with dramatic return on invest (ROI).

Organisational and IT change becomes much easier due to the speed and ease of rollout and deployment.

How do they operate?

HG. Traditionally, thin clients have been used to connect to server-based Windows applications running on Citrix or Microsoft using an architecture called terminal services. The server acted as an enormous “PC mainframe” that could share applications with many users concurrently. Today, there are far more ways to deliver applications than terminal services. A modern thin client should be able to deliver any server-based application, from old to new, and could include applications based on Microsoft Terminal Services, Mainframe, Blade PCs, Virtual PCs (VDI), Web, Java, Voice over IP and even Multimedia. This ability to access any network application, regardless of how it is delivered, is at the core of our design philosophy and is why we call our range of thin clients the IGEL Universal Desktop series.

Can these devices work with any operating system?

HG. The IGEL Universal Desktop series is available with three different operating systems: Microsoft Windows Embedded CE, Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard and Linux

Tell me more about this easy, central management

HG. IGEL Universal Management Suite 3 is an easy-to-use, yet extremely powerful software that allows you to remotely manage your IGEL thin clients so that support costs are kept to a minimum. It has a host of features that make the management of large groups of thin clients with lots of local protocol clients and software tools, spread over large WANs, extremely easy, fast and secure. And all this capability comes free with every IGEL thin client.

And finally, are thin clients environmentally friendly?

HG. For organisations looking to reduce their carbon footprint, electronic waste and energy bills, thin clients have strong credentials when compared with PCs. Thin clients use much less energy than PCs and can cut CO2 emissions by up to 52 percent even if the additional server capacity and data centre cooling is considered (Fraunhofer research paper). In addition to reducing CO2 and energy, thin clients generate 66 percent less electrical waste. We were one of the first thin client vendors worldwide to ensure all our devices are WEEE and RoHS compliant. Every device bought in Europe can be recycled free of charge at end of life upon customer request.

Biography

After starting with Melchers in 1988 Heiko Gloge was made General Manager of its NetCom division, which in 2001 became IGEL Technology GmbH. He was one of the founders of the European Thin Client Forum in 2002 and is currently Chairman of the Thin Client & Server Based Computing group in Germany’s IT industry association, BITKOM.