Igor Nogtev: We offer our software to create zero clients on the customers’ side to access cloud services
The transition to remote access leads to the fact that traditional personal computers have become unclaimed. How they could be used, told Igor Nogtev, Head of International Sales of IBIK LLC company.
CNews: Now the organization of workplaces by terminal access or VDI becomes more and more popular. But PCs that companies already have should also continue to be used. For what purposes can they be useful?
Igor Nogtev: Cloud computing, terminal access, or VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) technologies transfer the processing and storage of information from companies’ existing workstations to external processing centers — clouds. But access to cloud services still requires a low-performance computer — thin client. It is possible to use the existing PCs as thin clients.
On one hand, their capabilities are broader than those of simple thin clients — they can also perform local tasks, which makes the transition to cloud technologies smoother and more manageable. On the other hand, there are additional energy costs, more space is required, and higher maintenance costs.
CNews: What solution do you offer to improve the efficiency of their use?
Igor Nogtev: We believe that usage of the ASTER multi-user PC model could be a solution to the above problems. This model is a model where several users can utilize resources of one PC as a thick client (desktop CPU, hard drive, graphics card, and memory) through zero clients (monitor, keyboard, mouse).
Below you can see how 2 ASTER workplaces are used to access 2 different Windows Virtual Desktops using the standard Windows Remote Desktop Connection application.
The ordinary PC becomes a private cloud for several users. ASTER allows connecting up to 12 workstations to a single PC based on Windows 7/8/10. The effectiveness of this solution is confirmed by more than 30000 sales of our licenses. The main regions are the USA, EU, China, Brazil.
CNews: What are the main advantages of this approach?
Igor Nogtev:
- ASTER reduces expenses on purchasing of computer hardware:
- Fewer desktops are required to be purchased
- It is not necessary to buy thin client computers
- It is possible to use the system unit of the unclaimed PCs
- as the thick clients in the multiuser model
- in temporary projects or in organizing new workplaces
- One can use the monitors, mice, and keyboards of the unclaimed PCs as zero clients
- There is also an opportunity to reduce expenses in buying licenses that are tied to the processor under the license agreement
- As a result of the fewer desktops, further reduction of TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) can be achieved by reducing expenses on
- maintenance
- upgrades and updates
- repairs
- longer average hardware amortization period
- The fewer number of desktops reduces expenses on electrical power consumption (only from this point the cost of the ASTER license per workplace pays off in six months)
- of the whole IT infrastructure
- of air conditioners because of less hitting the environment by IT infrastructure
- In addition, the multi-user PC model helps to improve the security level of the whole IT infrastructure compared to the usage of ordinary PCs or thin clients.
- Zero clients contain only monitors, mice, and keyboards. They don’t have a processor and data storage. Therefore, they don’t have any attack surface. It makes zero clients more secure than thin clients.
- The number of firewalls to set up and manage is less and equal to the number of thick clients
- Access to the disk of the Multi-user PC is regulated by the user’s Windows account settings.
Are you interested in using ASTER in your organization?
