Citrix is trying to rally channel partners around a PC replacement solution from NComputing based on Raspberry Pi processors that was developed using software from Stratodesk and Citrix.
Shown this week at the Citrix Summit 2020 conference, the desktop virtualization offering from NComputing combines Windows virtual software with Citrix Workspace Internet of Things (IoT) technology such as Citrix Casting and Proximity Authentication to create an alternative to x86 based PCs.
Dubbed the RX420(HDX) Citrix Ready workspace hub from NComputing, the platform runs the Stratodesk NoTouch OS on the endpoints accessing Windows applications running on a server.
That approach will enable IT organizations to deploy a thin client that can be priced as low as $100, says Chris Fleck, vice president of emerging solutions at Citrix Systems. That compares to approximately $600 for an x86-based endpoint, notes Fleck.
That level of pricing should make it possible to deploy Windows applications more cost efficiently across a range of application scenarios spanning everything from hospitality to healthcare, says Fleck.
In addition, the total cost of managing thin clients that are also inherently more secure will be substantially less, says Fleck.
Finally, thin clients also open an opportunity for partners to more profitably deliver managed services, adds Fleck. In fact, Fleck says the skills required to deploy a thin client solution based on Raspberry Pi devices are already readily available.
“It’s not a high skill,” says Fleck.
Citrix, of course, has been making a case for replacing PCs with thin clients in one form or another for decades. However, with the rise of Raspberry Pi 4 platform, the price differential between thin clients and legacy PCs at a time when many organizations need to transition to Windows 10 has never been more compelling, says Fleck.
It’s unclear to what degree that argument will resonate with end customers. The one thing that is for certain is that a lot more customers might be willing to have that conversation today than they were 10 years ago.
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