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Businesses can cut their desktop management costs by up to 47 per cent and reduce global warming potential by up to 59 per cent, according to new research.
German scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) suggest that instead of replacing old PCs with new ones every 3-5 years, businesses will save money by converting them to thin clients.
By using a simple piece of IGEL Technology software on a USB stick or disk, old desktop computers and laptops can be converted into thin client devices in just minutes.
A thin client behaves just like your old PC but stores all its information directly on the server, rather than on the device, and can be managed and updated more simply than PCs.
When the researchers compared new PCs and notebooks with older devices, which continue to be used after converting them to IGEL software-based thin clients, they found that over a typical three-year period the thin clients reduced global warming potential by up to 59 per cent, and cut overall costs by up to 47 per cent. The researchers point out that for a business with 100 converted computers, that’s a saving of £720 per computer.
"This study is a revelation for businesses and public sector organisations struggling to manage with old PCs on their desktops,” said Simon Richards, IGEL Technology managing director for UK & Ireland.
“By using a simple piece of software to convert these devices to a thin client, organisations can save significant costs, management time and help reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, this conversion of old PCs is the first simple step to moving to a virtual cloud or server-based computing infrastructure, which is much more flexible and easier to manage moving forward.”
