The primary goal of any business is to boost revenue and maximize profits. Profit maximization can be done by reducing costs and increasing the revenue earned. In this day and age, expenditure on IT is one of the significant operational costs spent by a firm. In order to save money on IT expenditure, a firm should adopt cloud-based computing services and managed service providers.
Managed service providers or MSPs refer to companies that manage a client’s IT infrastructure as well as end-user systems remotely, usually on a proactively based model of subscription. By conferring a huge chunk of the IT management tasks to an MSP, the firm eliminates the need to hire a huge number of IT employees or develop a huge IT cell, thus saves money. In addition to this, nowadays firms rely on cloud computing tools, which refer to the (on-demand) availability of computer system resources such as data storage and computing power, which does not require direct management by the client (firm). Cloud computing usually refers to data centers which cater to multiple clients. By using cloud computing, the firm does not need to spend a huge lot of money on things such as data storage hardware, as data can be stored and managed on cloud systems online.
Besides availing the services of managed service providers and cloud computing systems, IT expenditure can be further reduced by using thin and zero clients. If you wish to lower your IT costs, it is time that you replace the expensive desktops in your office(s) with thin and zero clients.
What exactly are thin and zero clients?
Thin clients refer to lightweight computers with minimum memory and processing power that have been optimized to establish a remote connection with a server (cloud server) based environment of computing. Thin clients have a very basic operating system. They rely on a network connection for accessing a more powerful server-based system where the server carries out most of the work. In this server-based system, almost all the computing processes take place, including the launching of software programs, storing data, carrying out calculations, and so on.
Zero clients are similar to thin clients but are not exactly the same. Zero clients (also referred to as ultrathin clients) are server-based models of computing where the end-users do not have any local software and have very little (minimal) hardware. Thus, zero clients work in a similar fashion as thin clients. The only main difference between thin and zero clients is that unlike thin clients, zero clients do not even have any local software or local storage system installed in the computer device. All the software that is required, all the storage and processing power that is necessary- everything is available remotely on a server until the end-user needs it. All of these things remain available on a cloud-based server which can be accessed whenever required, eliminating the need to have a local storage option, which is an absolutely ideal setup for reducing costs.
How do thin and zero clients reduce hardware costs?
If you wish to reduce the upfront costs in IT management of your firm, thin and zero clients are the best options. The price of conventional desktops (personalized computers or fat clients) usually starts from around 300$ per user. On the other hand, thin clients are a whole lot cheaper- the price of a thin client per user may be as low as $90. These devices (thin and zero clients) tend to have greater durability and possess a lifespan longer than conventional computers, as they do not have any hard drive or other movable parts.
Simplifying IT management using thin and zero clients
Thin and zero clients can be managed from a server, which is a huge advantage. Managing devices from a server make IT management very simplified, easy and hassle-free. For instance, upon the release of a new software update, if you have server-based thin and zero clients, you do not have to manually download the patch on each of the computers. The update needs to be installed only on the server and then simply it can be rolled out to all the thin and zero clients. Similarly, back-up, application deployment, security configuration, etc can be made in the data center without the need to do these individually for every computer. This way, the setup becomes faster, employee productivity increases while downtime decreases.
Thin and zero clients minimize security risks
Using thin and zero clients also lead to the prevention of expensive malware attacks and incidents involving a breach of data. Employees or poorly managed end-users who use conventional desktops are highly vulnerable to security breach attacks. The use of thin and zero clients is highly beneficial in this regard as the direct access to the operating system is very limited in these devices, hence security risks are minimized. Employees are therefore prevented from copying confidential and sensitive data to removable devices or media and are also deterred from installing any software (which may be malicious or otherwise). In case a thin or zero client gets damaged or corrupted somehow, there is no need to worry about the data, all the data is originally stored in the server, which is practically impenetrable.
How do thin and zero clients decrease energy consumption?
In traditional or conventional desktops, all the processing of data is done locally. As a result, a large amount of heat is generated and at the same time, these computers require a lot of power. Consequently, at the end of the month, the firm ends up with huge power and cooling bills. On the other hand, in thin and zero clients, power consumption is as low as 4 to 6.5 watts, which is almost one-fiftieth of what fat clients (traditional computers) consume. In addition to this, thin and zero clients need very little (almost no) cooling, therefore helps in saving a lot of cooling costs.
Conclusion
Therefore, if your firm is looking for cutting down operational costs, thin and zero clients are ideal choices as they reduce hardware expenditure, power, and cooling bills as well as simplify IT management and minimize security risks.
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