Sun Ray Ultra-Thin Client for Everybody
Stateless Client Replace Servers PCs Macs and Save Big Money
Sun Ray Ultra-Thin Client for Everyone
Sun Microsystems has been making an ultra-thin client since 1999, known as the Sun Ray, and an affiliated company (Stantive Technologies Group, Kingston, Ontario) has been trying to bring the technology to everyone during the past two years.
Sun Ray Ultra-Thin Client for Everyone
If successful, this will mean that small and medium-sized businesses could save tremendous amounts of money by avoiding server and PC upgrades, while benefitting from centralized control of applications, backups and disaster recovery without having to invest in their own datacenters. Additionally, Stantive envisions the Sun Ray becoming a viable alternative to both PCs and Macs for many consumers.
But what good is an ultra-thin client, also known as a stateless client? The advantages are as follows:
- No operating system, therefore no upgrades
- No disk drive to crash or crack into (information theft)
- Extremely low power consumption
- High degree of centralized control – no viruses, backup worries or disaster nightmares
- Very low cost of ownership
- Rapid return on investment
If Stantive can figure out how to make the Sun Ray management software accept multiple clients from multiple organizations – natively only one organization with multiple clients per server farm – then businesses could rent applications and storage from the big Stantive datacenter rather than buying servers and PCs directly and having to subsequently upgrade them in a few years.
However, another kind of business is thus enabled – a sort of ISP that rents large pieces of the datacenter and then sublets portions out to individuals. Then consumers could simply buy Sun Ray ultra-thin clients and broadband connections, sign up for exactly those applications that they desire and merrily do what needs to get done. Consumers would be billed monthly in a similar manner as cable TV.
No Upgrading or Rebooting
In the case of needing more power, the consumer would not have to buy a new Sun Ray ultra-thin client. Rather, more of the central datacenter resources would be rented. Usually PCs and Macs require upgrades every three to five years. The Sun Ray ultra-thin client never needs upgrading or rebooting. This technology would be a highly viable alternative for those who work out of home offices and do not need strong mobile computing support, such as a laptop with wireless networking.
The Sun Ray architecture has been successfully implemented at universities, hospitals and various companies around the world. But imagine if Sun Ray kiosks were available just about anywhere – libraries, coffee houses, office buildings and even gas stations?
The consumer’s identity and desktop get loaded onto a smart card the size of a credit card, and as long as the consumer has the smart card and literally any available Sun Ray ultra-thin client, work can begin without booting or interruption in the state of the desktop from when the smart card had last been removed.
Students, doctors, nurses and business people almost universally love the Sun Ray ultra-thin client. Perhaps consumers will find the technology appealing too, especially if the investment into computing consists of just a relatively inexpensive ultra-thin client and a broadband connection
Tailored Office Suite to Your Needs and Preferences
If one could pick and choose among virtually any commercial application to build an office suite tailored to specific needs and preferences, Mac and PC then blur because consumers could select from both, and of course from Linux, Sun and even mainframe applications.
Fat clients (PCs, Macs) still have certain advantages, such as working offline and using custom software. Nevertheless, the cost savings and data security of the Sun Ray ultra-thin client are compelling advantages.
Note: Source information comes from interviews with Stantive in support of filing tax claims.
