Through thick and thin

Reading some of the computer press over the past six months, you could been forgiven for thinking that the NC has disappeared. But you'd be unwise to completely dismiss the idea of the NC - or to use its more appropriate name, the thin client - just yet. Recent changes to licensing terms by Microsoft mean that the cost of running Windows NT Server and Terminal Server Edition has effectively been halved on Windows terminals.

The changes eliminate the need for companies to hold a full Windows NT Workstation licence. According to an online survey conducted by Thin Planet, 62 per cent of resellers and users in the US and UK believe these changes will have a significant effect on the justification argument for thin clients.

Microsoft also released a terminal server internet connector that enables organisations to provide applications to 200 concurrent anonymous internet users. This opens the door for user businesses to deploy their thin clients in remote locations and create virtual business structures.

Deployment cost is what it's all about. A study commissioned by a leading vendor into the desktop selection and deployment process carried out by one leading UK corporate company claims that - with about 550 desktops - roughly #3 million could be saved on deployment costs by using upgrades and thin clients instead of updated PCs.

There is a reduction in capital outlay, but the really big saving is in deployment - about #5,000 per user. You can plug in and run thin clients - PCs have to be installed to the desk.

Meanwhile, the price of thin clients is falling as they become more successful. Wyse - which according to IDC has about 67 per cent of the growing Windows terminal market - recently reduced the prices of its Winterm products by up to 25 per cent. Other vendors will be responding.

Research conducted independently by Wyse prior to the Microsoft changes claims that Windows terminals can deliver savings of up to 49 per cent on service and maintenance over a three-year period, a 71 per cent saving on energy consumption, and cut installation times for network workstations.

And Microsoft is clearly convinced that the thin market will start to take off soon. The changes in the licensing terms are a sign of that, while future versions of Windows will support the whole concept.

The millennium may be a temporary distraction, but after that, there may be no stopping the thin client. A report from Forrester Research last year stated that after 2000, 'two thirds of companies will focus on supporting their users with browsers running in internet-connected appliances'.

Perhaps some customers would prefer to spend their money on the browser-enabled Windows terminal that is capable of running normal Windows applications anyway before 2000? For resellers, it may be a good time to put some of those deployment figures in front of your customers.

Simon Meredith is a freelance IT journalist.