EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Thin-Client Computing
Millions of hours of labor are wasted every year by IT managers trying to develop workable models to support client/server applications across geographically dispersed networks. The traditional Windows PC architecture, which uses applications installed on workstation disks and processed locally, makes application deployment extremely challenging. Thin-client computing promises a remedy; it centralizes management and delivers some applications to PC desktops via browsers, Java Virtual Machines and remote-presentation technology.
Today, remote presentation typically employs the Citrix ICA protocol or Microsoft RDP protocol. While the initial costs of deploying Windows NT Terminal Server Edition (TSE) and Citrix MetaFrame are high, the long-term savings are substantial. The upcoming release of Windows 2000, which offers an integrated and more sophisticated suite of terminal services, will further stimulate this market.
As the software matures, so does the hardware. Most manufacturers report brisk sales of vastly improved second- and third-generation Windows terminals and network computers. Analysts, meanwhile, project triple-digit annual growth in unit volumes, with most devices replacing dumb terminals or being deployed in areas previously devoid of computers. Handheld, wireless thin clients are arriving on the scene, but so far they represent just a fraction of total client hardware sales.
The obstacles to replacing traditional PCs with thin-client devices are more political than technological: Users have grown attached to their PCs. IT managers won't find it easy to replace them--despite PCs' reliability and maintenance problems and high cost of ownership--with more cost-effective alternatives.
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