Igel’s new range of products heralds the second generation of thin-client technology.
Thin-client solutions provide organizations with a cost-effective method of deploying computing to remote or branch offices, while retaining control of the costs associated with maintaining the equipment. The advantages of thin client, especially in terms of security, are well documented as having many PCs to protect is a time-consuming task, whereas in a centrally-managed server environment this is significantly reduced.
However, the emergence of digital services is forcing organizations to reconsider how they manage these services on the desktop. The emergence of these digital services will create a second age for thin-client technologies. If we consider the call center, an agent needs a telephone, access to a wide range of software applications (to log the call, and then perform some investigation), and possibly access to a multimedia library providing information so that the call can be successfully answered. Providing all this capability on the desktop requires a powerful PC, which generates heat and consumes a significant amount of power, and more importantly, these digital services typically have proprietary protocols that require the PC to be configured for each service.
Igel has developed a range of devices, including a four-way, split-screen, thin-client device that can display, in real-time, four separate and independent information sources, and a wireless, mobile, thin-client device. The most obvious advantage is the energy saving that thin-client will provide, but, as the number of digital services continues to increase and be delivered using proprietary protocols, then configuration and management of the receiving devices will become a significant task and cost to any organization.
As the demand for voice over IP (VoIP), streaming video, and other services to the desktop increases, the power required of the desktop PC will also increase beyond that of the current typical corporate desktop. Conflict between services and the applications needed to execute them is also expected to increase the complexity of managing the PC.
Ultimately, these requirements will lead to the deployment of multi-core PCs that support full system virtualization capabilities. For many organizations, this level of desktop processing capability will cease to be cost effective. However, with thin-client solutions, organizations can provide the capability required by users in a more efficient manner.
Source: OpinionWire by Butler Group (www.butlergroup.com)
