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Possible benefits include:
- Security (stored data, working session, physical, etc.)
- Disaster recovery (at the individual, or more importantly, enterprise level)
- Scalability (adding users, changing workloads)
- Reliability (What pieces can potentially break?)
- Availability (What's affected if a piece breaks?)
- Compatibility (Will it work with software/hardware/processes already in place and going forward?)
- Upgradability (Is it possible/how difficult would it be?)
- Performance (Is it equal/better to what exists?
- Remote accessibility (work-from-home/travel, pandemic planning, etc.)
- Manageability (How much support complexity does it add?)
- Limiting changes to user experience (People don't like change!)
- User session continuity (Will users always get their familiar experience?)
*Thin clients are stateless and store no data of any kind.
*All session data is encrypted RC4/128 (possibly TLS). Software client sessions are also SSL enabled.
*RSA SecurID 2-factor authentication is available
*With proper architecture, client VM-to-resource traffic can be kept on an internal network, since that traffic doesn't go to the end user. - Disaster recovery
*Possible to use virtual server BC/DR techniques to desktop VMs, including full-VM copies, storage replication. Doesn't require imaging of full PCs to use. - Scalability
*Adding users and increasing client workloads are handled centrally and dynamically at the servers. Client devices do not change. - Reliability
*No moving parts at client.
*Server hardware is inherently more reliable and is run in a controlled environment - Availability
*Overall environment should be designed to minimize single points of failure - Compatibility
*Standard desktop OS means no software incompatibilities - Upgradability
*Server upgrades can be done with no downtime. Client VM upgrades can be done in parallel to working client VMs. Endpoint devices are stateless so are easy to upgrade. - Performance
*CPU/memory/disk/network performance should be equal better due to improved hardware and consolidation efficiencies. - Remote accessibility
*User sessions/data not tied to any endpoint device. Can be accessed from any compatible web client, or any client device within the environment without loss of (active) session data - Manageability
*All OS/app/data operations being performed centrally will decrease management efforts in all areas, including patching, utilization, troubleshooting, etc. - Limiting changes to user experience
*Standard desktop OS means familiar user experience. Ability to import existing environment directly. - User session continuity
*Sessions are endpoint-device independent, so they follow the user - Energy savings
- 65w net savings per user
- 110BTU/hr heat dissipation decrease
- (long-term) Capital cost reduction
- Disposal
- e-waste: 15lb per unit
- packaging: 3lb per unit