Moving Away from Box PCs

“…just as centralized computing gave way to the PC revolution the pendulum will swing again. New technologies and the next wave of innovation ‘will compress today’s parallel solutions…. and transform the calculus of storage, bandwidth, and power that gives centralization its current advantage.’” (Marion’s Blog)

Last week, the Wall Street Journal observed that companies in a range of industries are moving away from traditional box PC solutions. This shift has been in the making for some time, but as 2007 progresses, we can expect to see the numbers for alternate technologies rise steadily:

“Since the early 1980s, corporate computing power has shifted away from the big central computers that were hooked to ‘dumb terminals’ on employees’ desks and toward increasingly powerful desktop and laptop computers. Now, there are signs the tide is turning back … thin-client shipments world-wide in 2006 rose to 2.8 million units valued at $873.4 million, up 20.8% from the previous year, according to projections from technology-research firm IDC. The category is expected to increase 21.5% annually through 2010.” (Wall Street Journal)

There once was a dream of centralized computing. In fact, that’s what many of the forefathers of the technology envisioned, but over time solutions have become more fractured, with desktop PCs taking on much of the average worker’s computing burden. De-centralized computing has freed people to work more independently and given users an incredible variety of resources to work with. But it’s also led to security issues, rising costs, IT burdens, and management concerns. For many businesses, the cons of de-centralized computing are starting to outweigh the pros.

“Looking at the costs of PC ownership, IT labor for desktop management and support is the largest IT expense, consuming almost 60% of the total lifecycle costs. PC support and administration costs on average one FTE [full-time employee] for every 100-200 PCs, with an estimated 8 to 12 service desk calls per PC per year.” (Tom Pisello: The ROI Guy)

The WSJ article mentioned earlier focuses primarily on thin clients as a response to these pressures on the box PC. They’re not the only solution, however, and they’re not always ideal. While thin clients allow for heightened security by removing data from the desktop, they can also limit the type of work that employees can do in the office.

It’s important to distinguish thin clients from the PC Blade centralized computing solutions that we cover here on a daily basis. While thin client “dumb terminals” can experience slower reaction times and lead employees to continually seek access to certain software from IT, PC Blades provide the benefits of a traditional PC experience with all the advantages that come from centralized computing.

Employees can still gain access to the systems and data that they need. They experience increased availability and can continue to work as they always have. They simply won’t have data stored on their machines. PC Blades allow for faster, more comprehensive management, and they ensure that employees won’t inadvertently make data available to those who shouldn’t have access.

The move from box PCs is already underway, and it will continue into the future. Blade PCs provide an alternative that is more secure, easier to maintain and operate, and more cost-effective than a desktop without sacrificing the positives of the PC.