Thin Client

Source article on Ideas International -- very nice article.

Thin client computing has matured tremendously in the past three years to the point where it is ready to deploy in almost any environment, including mission-critical and life-critical situations. ClearCube is one of the leaders in this field, in our opinion. In 2007, ClearCube partnered with Teradici Corporation to totally redesign its VDI product, eliminating almost all of the problems customers had experienced with the previous generation.

We (Ideas International) recently had the chance to talk with Richard Gagnon, the director of information systems at Redlands Community Hospital in California, about his experiences with the new ClearCube virtual desktop product. According to Gagnon, the hospital recently remodeled the Surgery and Maternal Child Services building and wanted to completely rearchitect the building’s computing resources to save electricity, conserve valuable floor space, provide for enhanced high availability, and protect access to confidential patient information. All of this had to be accomplished on a very tight timetable while the hospital remained functioning 24 hours a day. ClearCube was selected primarily because the Sentral VDI Management System had a lot of the right tools, simplifying management and allowing change to be effected very quickly. Previously, IT support personnel needed to put on surgical gowns and enter the operating rooms to service equipment. In fact, the hospital’s technicians had to run all over the hospital servicing laptops, desktops, and handhelds. Now, everything can be managed from the IT department.

We asked Gagnon about some of the problems with the prior generation of ClearCube, specifically distortion and network distance limitations. He responded that no one has experienced those problems with the new ClearCube. Network cables extend up to 300 feet in the building and the visual experience on the monitors is just like it was with local PCs. Redlands Community Hospital even developed a Web portal for the physicians so they could access the hospital systems from their homes. Medical records from the past five years were digitized and made available online, and newly gathered records are now all electronic. Finally, everything in the building is now wireless, including IV pumps and monitoring devices. When asked about potential EMF interference, he stated that digital TVs were the only devices they have found to date that interfere with wireless devices.

Despite its many benefits, the new ClearCube system was not without its issues. The staff needed to be trained on the new technology, specifically on how to handle power blips where the virtual desktop disconnects from the server. Through a relatively quick and simple procedure, the device can be reconnected and work can resume. A second issue was the implementation, which was somewhat complex and challenging. ClearCube support people worked closely with the Redlands IT staff to resolve all the outstanding issues. The system has been extremely stable since it went into production. A final issue involved the internal culture at the hospital. Many on the staff were skeptical of the new technology and wanted to keep things the way they were. That quickly faded as the staff grew to understand and experience the benefits that ClearCube offers.

Overall, this is a big win for ClearCube, Redlands Community Hospital, and thin client desktop computing. It demonstrates to us that thin client infrastructure is ready to deploy today, even in the most critical and demanding environments. If it can work in the operating rooms and delivery rooms of a hospital, it can work in a typical company environment. Back in January 2008, we at IDEAS predicted that thin client desktop computing would be very big in 2008, and this example is a clear confirmation of that prediction.