Lee “slimming down” computing systems
Lee University is really cutting back on its hardware usage. In fact, thin clients are becoming a significant part of the computing infrastructure at Lee University, with around 125 now located around campus.
A thin client is a physical user interface (monitor, keyboard and mouse) connected to a virtual computer located on a remote server. All of Lee’s thin clients access these virtual computers, which are hosted on servers in IT Operations’ data center, via the campus network.
After a student logs off, the virtual computer reboots and refreshes, wiping any changes made to the system. When the user logs on again, it is as if it were a new computer.
This virtual computing system allows one to connect to his/her computer without having to work with a physical desktop machine. Chris Golden, director of IT Operations for Lee University, said that fewer physical computers mean a better system all around.
“The goal is to decrease the cost of the actual computer, reduce the time of maintenance, be able to provide better software… quicker and more efficiently and also increase the life expectancy of [the] computer,” Golden said.
Thin clients are becoming a popular option in both educational and corporate environments, Golden said. “Bring your own device,” or BYOD, has become a popular phrase in organizational technology. Employees bring their own laptops or tablets to the office and connect to a virtual desktop using the organization’s network, thus eliminating the need for bulky desktop computers.
Golden said that the use of thin clients on campus should significantly reduce hardware replacements. Rather than replace machines every four years as Lee does now, he hopes to extend the life of hardware to seven or eight years.
There are thin clients all over campus. These are just a few located in a PCSU computer lab.