Geez, can someone let this failed concept just go and
be forever mourned in a land fill?
IBM and Wyse lead thin-client revival
Summary
Energy saving is on the agenda for IBM, as it signs up the thin-client specialist to deliver terminals to its Global Services division.
Topics
Thin clients are back on the agenda at IBM, after the company announced a partnership with the specialist thin-client supplier Wyse Technology.
On Monday, Wyse said in a statement that the two companies will be using IBM's Virtual Infrastructure Access service to build virtualized systems based on a thin-client infrastructure. IBM will use its Global Services division to do this.
Thin clients are systems that usually do not have a hard disk, mainly depending on a centralized server for processing — in contrast, a standard PC is known as a 'fat client'. A thin client will therefore generally be just a terminal, so it should be less expensive than a PC and consume less power.
"Wyse has been a customer of IBM for some time, but this is a much more formal relationship," David Angwin, director of marketing for Wyse EMEA, told ZDNet UK on Tuesday. "It is primarily about virtualisation."
According to Angwin, the companies are going to use Wyse's expertise in thin-client systems in conjunction with virtualization products from companies such as VMware and Citrix. Both of these companies produce hypervisors and related products for virtual environments.
"We produce hardware products like the thin-client terminals, but we also have some expertise in thin-client software," Angwin said. "We have products that work with VoIP systems, streaming technology and in many other areas, all optimized for thin clients."
Companies are taking an interest in thin clients because of the cash and energy savings they offer, Angwin said: "The technology can help you reduce capital and operating costs, and thin clients use less power than PCs."
Angwin said the thin clients would be priced at around £170-£180 ($249-$264) at the low end, and £400-£500 ($587-$734) at the high end.
They could attract "any kind of company", Angwin said, but he suggested thin clients were especially popular with national and local government.
This article was originally posted on ZDNet.co.uk.
Talkback Most Recent of 3 Talkback(s)
-
Christian_<><25th Mar 2009 -
RE: IBM and Wyse lead thin-client revival
Stop calling them thin clients...that is the failed concept. Call it Dynamic Desktops or Virtual desktops as they are hugely successful in companies like Goldman Sachs (60% of their desktops are virtual), JPMC (they plan to virtualize their entire desktop footprint)...talk about connection brokers and single image OS streaming and app-v or thinapp streaming on top of that...talk about Appsense controlling "real" roaming profiles..
justthinking25th Mar 2009 -
RE: IBM and Wyse lead thin-client revival
Does this mean that DBA's can finally recover databases to the computer room where they can be standardized, managed, secured, and backed-up. What a novel idea.
No more CEO's hacking local data, eh? No more businesses going bankrupt because critical data was lost.
90% of companies that encounter a catastrophic database failure go bankrupt within the calendar year!
NemoFossor ~ pppaulll
Nemo_Fossor26th Mar 2009
Talkback - Tell Us What You Think
The best of ZDNet, delivered
ZDNet Newsletters
Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox
Facebook Activity
