News

Thin Clients Getting Fat

A recent report by IDC states that the company expects shipment of thin clients to reach almost 1.3 million by the end of 2000. IDC estimates much of the 2000 expansion will result from the integration of Terminal Server into Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 2000 operating system.

Director of IDC's Enterprise Thin Clients research program, Eileen O'Brien, says the thin client market is experiencing powerful growth, and Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) Terminal Server is expected to play a large role in the market expansion. "Terminal Server becoming an integrated part of Windows 2000 is a definitive renewal by Microsoft of the company's commitment to the thin client approach to computing," O'Brien says. The 80 percent growth IDC (www.idc.com) anticipates for the end of this year follows a 90 percent growth rate in 1999.

The integration of Terminal Services with Windows 2000 is likely to cause an expansion of the thin client market for several reasons. Terminal Services offers users a reliable way to distribute Windows-based applications to thin clients via a thin client architecture or through a server-based computing approach. Currently there are three main vendors that dominate the 70 percent of the market - Wyse Technology Inc. (www.wyse.com), IBM Corp. (www.ibm.com), and Network Computing Devices Inc. (NCD, www.ncd.com). Previously, customers had to look to third-party vendors, but now thin client computing services will be a part of Windows 2000.

While Windows-based terminal-like devices accounted for more than 70 percent of shipments in 1999, IDC expects to see increased competition from Linux-based thin clients. Despite the late 1999 and early 2000 arrival of many Linux thin clients, research indicates that the Linux-based client presence is strong and growing. With companies such as IBM, Netier Technologies Inc. (www.netier.com), and Compaq Computer Corp. (www.compaq.com) all offering Linux thin clients, their presence is expected to be more visible by year's end. - Alicia Costanza

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

Featured

  • Nebula

    Ahead of AGI, Microsoft and OpenAI Redefine Their Partnership

    In a recapitalization announced Tuesday, OpenAI has launched a new public benefit corporation (PBC) called OpenAI Group, giving Microsoft a 27 percent ownership stake valued at approximately $135 billion.

  • Veeam Acquires Securiti AI To Unify Data Resilience and AI Security

    Veeam Software is making a strategic move into AI and data security by acquiring Securiti AI for $1.7 billion.

  • Microsoft Adds 'Mico' Virtual Assistant to Copilot in Major Fall Update

    In a significant feature update, Microsoft on Thursday said it is reshaping its Copilot AI platform with features that deepen user personalization and enable real-time group collaboration, among other perks.

  • Nutanix Partner Central Rolls Out To Boost Channel Engagement

    Nutanix on Wednesday launched a new platform, Partner Central, to give its channel partners a unified digital workspace for managing sales, tracking incentives and collaborating more effectively.

Most   Popular