What is a "Thin Client"?

A thin client is a device that does not have a disk drive. They can range from "stateless" (which means that they act as only a keyboard, mouse, and display with all the graphics, processing and data input being controlled on a main server), to diskless (meaning processing is performed on the thin client).

With thin clients, applications reside on a central server. This makes it a snap to upgrade or to deploy those applications on a massive scale.

Why Buy a Thin Client?

As PC prices fall you may be wondering why you should purchase a thin client at all. What is important to understand is that the benefits and cost savings associated with thin client and server-based computing are maximized when you use thin client devices on the desktop. By eliminating the moving parts (disk drives), local applications and fat operating systems, desktop management and maintenance becomes centralized and simplified. If you have already bought into the concept of thin client and server-based computing then these cost savings are obvious. One of the advantages of Thin Clients is that their life expectancy is much longer than the average PC.

Problems Solved

For businesses, server-based thin-client computing is attracting attention because of its ability to solve some of the most vexing problems facing IT: the staffing shortage, data privacy and security, and the quest for value from technology purchases. Because thin clients address all these problems, it's no wonder that experts say the market for thin-client technology will grow nearly 500 percent by 2004.

The PC problem

The problem with using PCs, as anybody who's ever worked on a help desk knows, is that users get themselves, and the company, in all manner of trouble through unauthorized applications, downloads, and errors. Thin-client computing combines the security and control of a mainframe with the interface and function of a PC, thus thin-client computing allows organizations to use fewer help-desk staffers. When applications are moved to the server, the increased control for the IT department brings almost immeasurable benefits in uniformity, security, and data privacy, analysts and users say.

It makes more sense to keep that data in a data center, where it's managed, backed up, redundant, and accessible to users from anywhere around the world through secure Internet connections, rather than scattering the information about. Thin clients virtually eliminate virus threats, enabling administrators to easily control user access, control what users copy to their local drives, and filter e-mail attachments."

Microserver & Thin Client Solutions

Thin Clients are ideal for all forms of networks, including point of sale (POS), reservation, security stations, banking, airline reservation, dispatching, database, and library catalogue systems.

Our solution - the "MultiClient"

The MultiClient is our thin client product. We have managed to reduce the footprint even more, which makes it ideal for using as a thin client or workstation. The Multi Client is a fanless unit and uses Mini-ITX boards. This makes the product noise-free and energy efficient.