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Personal computers make up more than 97 percent of desktop
clients, so it should come as no surprise that industry statistics claim 60
to 70 percent of IT support staff time is spent servicing individual PCs. To
help cut your IT support budgets, consider server-centric computing
solutions, which offer all the flexibility of individual PCs at only a
fraction of the cost. Although this concept is not
new, numerous calls to Network Computer Systems, Inc. Technical Support team
suggest that plenty of solution providers and end users remain confused
about its benefits. To help clear up the confusion about server-centric
computing, we have compiled a Q & A session to answer some of your
questions.
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What is
server-centric computing? |
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Server-centric computing goes by many
names -- thin clients, terminal servers, and server-based
computing -- but essentially, it is a technology that
enables businesses to run all their applications and store
all their data on a central server or servers, instead of on
individual PCs spread throughout an organization.
To access applications and data pools,
users simply connect to the server via a thin client. Thin
clients -- devices with a keyboard, mouse and monitor port,
but no moving parts (e.g., hard drives, floppy disks or
CD-ROMs) -- typically have just enough CPU and RAM to
display activities happening on the server, where the bulk
of the data processing occurs. |
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How does
the technology work? |
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At the core
of this solution is a server, or group of servers, running
operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows
2003 Server, that contain a Terminal Services feature. This
feature enables the server(s) to do all the work of hosting
and running applications, but display the appropriate
screens on the thin clients as if they were running the
applications locally. |
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Is a
server-centric computing environment less expensive than a
traditional client/server environment? |
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Initially,
no. But the total cost of ownership is definitely cheaper.
Once a thin client is installed, administrators rarely have
to touch it again until it dies, and then they merely need
to perform a five-minute product swap. |
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How exactly
does this technology save users money? |
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Companies can cut costs by reducing the
number of support staff required. For example, if it took
five technicians to maintain 100 personal computers, it may
take as little as one technician to maintain the same number
of thin clients. Also, users can
reduce capital expenses by turning outdated PCs into viable
thin clients and eliminating the need to purchase new PCs
and hard drives.
And hardware upgrades are cheaper with
server-centric computing. An enterprise, for example, may no
longer need to replace hundreds of old computers to address
new software requirements. Instead, it could simply upgrade
the hardware/software on the central servers, saving time
and money and reducing the strain on IT staff members. |
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How long
does it take to install thin clients? |
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Enterprises
can typically install each thin client in under 15 minutes,
and because thin clients are managed remotely, network
administrators can update software once (at the server)
instead of over and over on individual clients. |
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Does
server-centric computing also help speed application
deployment? |
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Definitely.
In a large network, it often takes weeks -- even months --
to roll out a new application. With server-centric
solutions, companies can deploy new applications in just a
day or two -- without ever touching desktops -- and still
giving employees access to the latest software versions. |
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How would this
technology impact my IT staff? |
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Because the primary hardware/software
installations and upgrades are done on the central servers,
corporations no longer need to employ enough IT technicians to
support hundreds of PCs. Thus, management time is drastically
reduced and enterprises employ fewer people to do the bulk of the
work. |
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What types of
businesses could most benefit from server-centric computing? |
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Server-centric computing is particularly helpful
for:
- Firms that
require high reliability when using mission-critical
applications, such as hospitals, insurance agencies, airline
reservation centers and hotels
- Companies with
aggressive cost-cutting agendas
- Educational
institutions that require more computing resources, but have an
ever-shrinking budget
- Businesses
with mobile workforces, multiple remote locations and limited IT
resources
(For specific case studies about
server-centric computing in the education, government, healthcare,
retail and transportation industries, visit
Wyse Technology.) |
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Are there any
industries that shouldn't consider thin clients? |
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Yes, specifically computer users who specialize
in managing or creating content (e.g., engineers, graphic artists,
Web designers). These professionals require powerful local
processing, local storage and the ability to read and write from
CD-ROMs. Therefore, they are better suited to fully equipped desktop
PCs, workstations and notebooks. |
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What types of
software can this technology run? |
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Servers running Windows 2003 software will have
no problem running nearly all of the many Windows-based applications
available today. In fact, many Macintosh users now rely on
server-centric computing to access the wide variety of Windows-based
applications that were previously off limits. Keep in mind, however,
that users may run into problems with specific vertical- or
niche-market applications, which may not be written in Microsoft
code. |
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What do I need to
know about licensing? |
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Licensing in a server-centric computing
environment can be tricky. That's because Microsoft Windows server
licenses are sold on either a per-seat (with Windows 2000) or
per-user (Windows 2003) basis, and these licenses are not
concurrent. This means once the licenses have been assigned either
to an individual or a thin client, the company needs to purchase
more, in order to expand the number of users.
Complicating matters further, companies also need
to purchase per-seat licenses for the various applications running
on their servers (e.g., Microsoft Office). For more details about
licensing, contact Network Computer Systems, Inc. Technical Support
at (509) 464-2340 |
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