Client Zero: Build Something Out of Nothing

You might have heard about how some manufacturers describe their devices as Zero CPU or Client Zero. They are known under one classification, zero clients. There are so many promises made by vendors in order to attract more customers and businesses. One of these is the “zero” effort and expense after the initial cash out of conversion from traditional desktop workstation into the thin client. At the very least, you need to verify their claims as these manufacturers can be very “creative” in marketing their products just to make a sale.

The centralised IT model

More and more businesses have realised the cost-saving measures of transferring their whole IT ecosystem from the traditional desktop environment to the thin client application. The value on the total cost of ownership alone will reach about 70% in savings. As added benefits, thin clients also offer better security of data, higher system accessibility, improved workflow, etc. But the business has to study its own operations and IT system to make sure it understands the type of solution tailor-fitted for its needs. The business also has to decide when to migrate as well as know the procedures for a smoother migration.

When does zero client becomes zero?

The savings are patently obvious once you migrate your desktop workstation to the thin client VDI (Client Leger VDI) but some vendors include proprietary licenses along with the software and succeeding applications on the devices. It certainly is not an accident why some thin clients may match the cost of a desktop computer per seat.

In contrast, you will cut in half the initial capital outlay in migrating your system from thin client to the zero client (Client Zero). How does it do this? By limiting the capacity of the endpoint device, that’s how. By bypassing local processing, the OS, drivers, hard drives and configuration settings, the zero clients becomes management-free. Some vendors even take the zero term a notch further by separating the files on the hard disk which can be downloaded before use.

Is it a zero client?

Ask yourself these simple questions in order to determine if the device sold to you is actually a zero client:

- Do you need to adjust the device before using it?
- Does the device contain a CPU or a memory, or using Flash software?
- Do you need to download a software or application before you can use it?
- Are you using a management tool when you use the thin client device?
If you said yes to the above questions, then your system may not be a true client zero. As a rule of thumb, zero client don’t really require much maintenance and repair even in stressful environments because they don’t have moving parts. The zero client even requires less of an energy, with averages somewhere from 20 to 30% compared to the thin client.