Harvard University Graduates to Wyse Thin Clients

Academic institution increases department productivity and security with Linux-based thin clients

SAN JOSE, Calif. – 02/06/2007 - Wyse Technology, the global leader in thin computing, today announced that Harvard University’s Physics department has replaced its PCs for graduate students with Wyse S50 thin-clients, the world’s smallest Linux-based thin client.

Harvard’s Physics department switch to thin computing was driven by the need to reduce “at-the-desk” support time and lower the energy costs associated with powering PCs. The department also looked to protect its students from the myriad of viruses and malware that are prevalent on PCs and create a more secure computing environment using thin clients.

With a growing percentage of IT budgets allocated to maintenance, it has become increasingly difficult for IT departments to focus on their core business. Thin computing helps reduce the cost of delivering desktop computing by as much as 40 percent, and also frees IT staff time to focus on more strategic initiatives.

“Since implementing Wyse’s S50 terminals, the number of support requests made by our graduate students has been reduced by more than 50 percent,” said Maggie McFee, Senior Systems Administrator Harvard University Physics department. “Wyse’s thin computing solutions have enabled us to administer all requests centrally and our small IT staff no longer has to spend the entire day servicing PCs dispersed across different floors. We can now centrally manage everything.”

The Wyse S50 is the smallest, most advanced Linux-based thin client on the market. Complete with the latest Wyse Linux V6 operating system based on Linux Kernel 2.6, the Wyse S50 features a compact, sleek design and feature-rich innovation that is customizable to fit demanding customer needs.

In addition to streamlining their support efforts, the department has also noted the following benefits of deploying thin computing solutions:

• Security – Unlike PCs, thin-clients have no local storage devices so thin clients are not vulnerable to viruses and other malware as long as the servers are protected. Additionally, the data is always safe on the server and compliant with privacy regulations since there is no way to store and remove proprietary information from thin clients.
• Manageability – Thin clients are much easier to deploy, configure, and back up for the simple reason that the software is delivered from – and resides on – the server. So there is very little hands-on legwork required.
• Total Cost of Ownership – The average annual maintenance costs for a PC are four to seven times the acquisition costs, whereas thin clients can save organizations more than $1,000 per seat per year in maintenance costs. This can be as much as a 40 percent savings for most IT departments, according to the IDC whitepaper, Thin Computing ROI: The Untold Story.

About Wyse Technology

Wyse Technology is the global leader in thin computing. Wyse and its partners deliver the hardware, infrastructure software, and services that comprise thin computing, allowing people to access the information they need using the applications they want, but with better security, manageability, and at a much lower total cost of ownership than a PC. Thin computing allows COOs and senior IT professionals to reduce costs, manage risk, and deliver access to information. Wyse partners closely with industry leaders Microsoft, Citrix, VMware, and others to achieve this objective. Wyse is headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices worldwide

For more information, visit the Wyse website at http://www.wyse.com or call 1-800-GET-WYSE