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Thin clients can either be a software program or an actual computer that relies on some other computer for its processing and computing work. Software running on client hardware, generally referred to as client software acts as an interface, while the server which is connected to client via network does all the processing.It can also be a computer designed only for online usage, such as sending or receiving of mails or browsing the web. It can also be part of a large network, for example at a company or a school.

Thin client computers have enough hardware for booting and connecting itself to a more powerful network server. Hard disk in thin clients is used for booting, maintaining a swap file and holding the operating system itself. Once booted the operating system runs the script needed to connect client to a server from where it can access its applications and store its files.

In software terminology, a thin client is a program which is mostly interface. The user at the client end of the software sees all the data, tools and features like normal software, but all the work is done by its server counterpart.

So, the question that comes to mind is, if thin clients are not capable of doing anything at its own why would anyone need it? The main reason that companies are switching from traditional computing solutions,to this new architecture is because over the last two years IT budgets have gone down dramatically. Replacing old computers can be little uneconomical and this has led many companies to switch over to thin client architecture. Not only is this architecture economical, it is more secure, environment friendly and longer lasting than traditional computing solutions.

Environment Friendly: Average thin client uses 15 watts of power while its desktop counterpart consumes around 80 watts. When multiplied with numerous desktops running across the building it can be real energy saver.

Longer lasting – Since there are no moving parts in thin clients, they have a longer life span than desktops. Average life of thin-client is around 10 years while that of desktop is around 3 years.

Data Security – Data is stored on a network server, which gives a sense of security against theft as security is beefed up in servers hosting client data.

Cost effective administration – The most promising feature of thin client architecture is cost effective administration. Administrators can manage the clients remotely from a central place. This will result in effective management too, as a single administrator can support 4-5 times more devices than regular desktop.