Partner Article

Thin Client Computing: Alternative ways to deliver IT applications while driving business benefits

We’re all used to using the Windows environment in our businesses. One great benefit PCs bring is that users are able to customise how they use their applications, coupled with being able to change the way things look and feel and this has boosted productivity.

But sometimes this approach has problems; it’s quite difficult for an IT department to manage all these different devices, as well as deal with the security and compliance risks which the PC model brings with data potentially stored all over an organisation. It also struggles to accommodate smart phones and tablets, which employees are increasingly using today, as people want to get access to their applications wherever and whenever they can.

Thin Client Computing is an alternative way to deliver your applications to users and it addresses a number of these issues.

The basic principle of Thin Client Computing is very similar to the old fashioned mainframe; rather than running your applications locally on your PC, everything is stored and runs centrally on a set of servers. What this means is the PC simply acts as a display while transmitting the keyboard impressions and mouse movements back to the server.

So when you need to do an update to your systems or do some maintenance work, your IT department can do it in one central location on the servers, and therefore you don’t need to worry about updating each PC or device individually. It also means all your data is stored centrally so security compliance and backup is much better.

There are two basic approaches to Thin Client Computing; desktop virtualisation or application virtualisation.

With desktop virtualisation we can manage your PC as though it runs locally, but take it to the server environment, and then deliver it up to whatever device you’re using. With application virtualisation we take each application individually, virtualise that onto the server and then we can create your own corporate application store where each user gets access to the applications they need, from whatever device they’re using. Doing this means all of your data is secure and your applications can be stored safely as well.

Not all of these approaches work for every organisation and the best approach to take depends on individual circumstances. At Perfect Image, we can give you a free consultation on how to make best use of these technologies and what approach, or perhaps a combined hybrid approach, might be right for you.

To find out more about Thin Client Computing, watch this short video: http://bit.ly/ThinClientComputing

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Perfect Image .