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Earlier this year Becta commissioned research into the use of Thin Client technology in schools. The key findings from the schools participating in the case study are highlighted. The full report can be found on the Becta website http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_rp_ap_03&rid=11414
All the schools studied used 'Fat' clients in some capacity often to overcome limitations with the Thin Client technology.
Benefits
· All the schools reported being able to provide more ICT provision for their budget through the use of Thin Client technology
· Centralised management and control meant that Thin Client networks were easy to run and support. Schools reported spending less time per machine supporting Thin Clients than Fat clients
· Schools were able to extend the life of PCs by configuring them as Thin Client devices
· Thin client systems were found to be very reliable with good security. The tightly locked down Thin Client terminals reduced tampering/user created support issues.
· The consistent and uniform provision offered by Thin Clients increased teacher/pupil confidence in using ICT.
· Thin Clients use less energy and produce less heat/noise than standard PCs producing a pleasant learning and teaching environment.
· Little training was needed to use the Thin Client networks
Issues
· Multimedia support: All schools experienced problems delivering some multimedia applications over the Thin Client networks. Multimedia performance varied, with newer terminals delivering much better results.
· Software issues: Some software was unable to run in a Thin Client environment
· Management Information Systems: Many schools (but not all) did not run their MIS over the Thin Client network. This was mainly due to either the software not being supported on Thin Clients or to Local Authority recommendations.
· Peripherals: Support for peripherals varied from system to system. Newer Thin Client terminals tended to provide better support.
· Interactive whiteboards: None of the schools in the study ran their interactive whiteboards from Thin Client terminals
· Some of the limitations of Thin Clients could be frustrating for pupils and teachers
· The Thin Client networks studied were currently not able to meet some aspects of Becta's Functional Specification Institutional Infrastructure
