CLIFF NOTES:

• Resources and Processing: Local on device
• Applications: Local on device
• Data: Local on device
• User experience: is high as everything is fast and wonderful.
• IT experience: is low as it is really difficult to manage and keep secure, especially remotely.
• Target user: Knowledge-Based Worker
• Cost: $$$
• Life Cycle: 3 Years

OVERVIEW:

Glorious and world-changing! The PC can come in many forms, from a clamshell laptop to a desktop PC. The Operating System usually comes in the form of Mac OS or Windows.

The experience is typically higher so long as the resources can cater to the user's application use. The benefits are you can use this on the road and the plane, even without internet connectivity.

Security is significantly lower, as data can be stored locally, which means data integrity can be compromised. Also, the Windows Operating System can be prone to attack as bad actors can target individuals with Ransomware and Malware.

Management is also challenging if users are working remotely; users will typically have to log into the corporate network via a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to receive any updates or security patches. (Patches are required to plug any security loopholes found in software.)

The personal computer will always be a factor within an organization; some users and applications can not use anything else.

CLIFF NOTES:

• Resources and Processing: Centrally in the data center
• Applications: Central in the data center (cloud)
• Data: Central in the data center (cloud)
• User experience: Low, but expectations are typically low.
• IT experience: is higher, as it is easier to manage pools* of desktops centrally than thousands of desktops remotely
• Target user: Task-Based Worker
• Cost: $
• Life Cycle: 5+ Years

OVERVIEW:

In an attempt to simplify management and security, IT centrally controls the resources, applications, Data, and Operating System.

This was implemented for task-based office workers where the mission-critical applications would be published down to the end users’ devices through Citrix, Vmware, or Microsoft RDP.

As Resources were shared, it often meant that users or applications that ‘hogged’ resources could impact the user experience and productivity of the group.

VDI, or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, was implemented to limit the impact a single user or application could have on a wider group. This was done by putting software on a server (called a Hypervisor) that could slice the available resources up, so each user had their dedicated resource to consume, hence a Virtual Desktop.

Management is much simpler, especially if you could Pool use cases and have a series of Golden Images. (An image for Marketing users, an Image for the Call Center users, etc.) that way, you only needed to update and support a handful of images versus thousands.

However, the thin client used to connect to the virtual desktops or published applications still needed an operating system to allow it to ‘operate.’ This operating system couldn't be Windows as it was too large and would bring the same challenges IT had with it on the Fat Client. So, often the hardware manufacturer would create a Linux-based OS to help the device connect to the data center. Here lies the unforeseen complexity of managing devices within the umbrella of Server Based Computing.

CLIFF NOTES:

• Resources and Processing: Locally and Centrally
• Applications: Central in the data center (cloud)
• Data: Central in the data center (cloud)
• User experience: User experience is high as everything is fast and wonderful
• IT experience: This is high as they can centrally manage the Applications and Desktops centrally and support them.
• Target user: BOTH Knowledge-Based Workers & Task-Based Workers
• Cost: $$$
• Life Cycle: 5+ Years

OVERVIEW:

The Fit Client is the best of both worlds, a device that has resources locally and can be utilized when required, combined with an operating system purposely built to access applications and data from the cloud.

IGEL has a cloud gateway that allows IT to manage devices anywhere in the world without needing a VPN (Virtual Private Network). And our ecosystem of partners in the IGEL Ready program allows us to seamlessly update when needed.

In regards to the meantime to resolution, organizations can utilize omnichannel support (such as chatbots) to dramatically reduce the time and cost to resolution. As IGELs base configuration is standardized, a simple restart can return to an operational baseline, so users are productive again.

Our IGEL Ready ecosystem of partners also allows us to jointly develop virtual channels or drivers dedicated to providing efficiencies to deliver a better, more robust user experience.

As IGEL was built for the internet, security is a foundational element in our product. We have a read-only OS, so even if a user clicks on a malicious link, it won't be able to install any executables that may compromise the endpoint.

Also, because IGEL is a lightweight, purpose-built OS, we regularly see energy consumption savings between 22% and, in some cases, 59% depending on workloads and model. This does two things, it extends battery life, but more importantly, it helps the environment.(taken from a study by PX3)

STEP 1:

• Offload the heavy processing requirements from unified communications to the cloud client (endpoint).

Results:

• Better Experience
• Lower cloud costs due to reduce resource consumption
• Higher Productivity through a better collaborative experience

STEP 2:

• Reduce network traffic by redirecting Audio and Video to the intended audience (peer-to-peer). This reduces hair pinning back up to the cloud.

Results:

• Better Experience
• Lower cloud costs due to reduce resource consumption
• Less disruption and greater stability
• Higher Productivity through a better collaborative experience