There are significant benefits to be gained. According to an IDC report, thin computing users studied by IDC experience significant business benefits from a thin computing environment:
- Reduction in hardware and software costs by 40%.
- Reduction in IT operations costs by 29%.
- Increase in IT staff productivity by 78%.
- Reduction in worker downtime by 88%.
This research focused on 70 companies with between 3,100 and 30,000 employees, so you will need to take this into consideration if your organisation is significantly smaller. That said it does paint a very interesting picture that clearly illustrate the considerable savings that can be achieved.
Overall, studies agree that the RoI (Return on Investment) potential for a thin computing system is good but be aware of the disadvantages as highlighted in the pitfalls of thin computing section.
Thin computing resolves many problems by removing the complexity of desktop PCs and replacing them with simple, small, very energy efficient terminals.
With thin computing, all applications and records are stored on a central server. This means that it’s much easier for IT personnel or an IT supplier to manage these.
Organisations that have adopted this centralised thin computing approach have found that:
- It typically reduces IT costs,
- Makes IT systems more reliable,
- Improves security, and
- Reduces power consumption.