Management Toolkit

Custom thin client slashes IT costs

Mike Walton Tech Republic

Published: 09 Oct 2003 16:00 BST

Savings really add up
Used laptops and low-cost or free software make for a powerful savings combination. Nath figures his company saves a little over $1,300 per user, per year (Figure A) .

This is how he figures it:

$200 per used laptop vs. $2,000 for desktop with monitor and support over a four-year period

$0 vs. $300 for client operating system and Office suite licenses for a three-year upgrade cycle

Five hours per user, per year vs. 30 hours per user, per year, at $25 per hour, due to the central administration and maintenance of the software only on the servers

"We didn't even factor in increased employee productivity since our employees have less downtime," Nath said. He includes downtime savings from:

The inability of users to download unauthorised programs because the programs are on the server, not the laptop.

The wasted time spent visiting non-work-related Web sites because the browser and related visited site lists are on the server for inspection.

Having replacement laptops available immediately if a malfunction occurs.

"For our company of 100 or so employees, this really adds up," Nath said about all of the cost savings.

Nath also said that this new arrangement is finding support from end users, because the company is so pleased with the cost savings that it is sharing those savings with its employees.

"They are more than happy to get some extra cash around the holidays as a trade-off for not having the typical fat-client Windows PC setup," Nath said.