Centralized Management for Desktops

Centralized management lowers costs and simplifies maintenance of desktop computers.

Mike Hurwicz

Organizations are increasingly waking up to the costs of managing desktop computers. For instance, the Gartner Group (Framingham, MA) estimates that the total cost of ownership (TCO) for a networked Windows 95 PC is $9784 a year. TCO includes hardware and support costs. Much of that expense comes from users changing configurations, installing applications, and plugging in cards, making every machine unique and greatly complicating troubleshooting and upgrading tasks. Users might even do things such as download pro grams that are infected with viruses, creating unnecessary and expensive crises for the whole organization.

Centralized desktop management strategies will become increasingly widespread in 1998 because of their potential for lowering TCO and protecting the corporate network. These strategies include automatic configuration, remote diagnostics, remote booting, and LAN wake-up (power-on). Company policies might also prohibit users from changing their setups or installing their own software, then denying them central support if they do. Centralized, automated management of desktops can reduce TCO by as much as 25 percent, according to estimates by the Gartner Group.

In 2Q1998, Microsoft expects to release Windows 98, which will be the first operating system to embed Zero Administration for Windows (ZAW), a Microsoft initiative promoting centralized, automated management for desktops. ZAW is out in kit form for Windows 95. ZAW can restrict users from installing unau thorized software and accessing network resources; it can also lock down machines entirely.

Sealed, low-cost, thin-profile desktop computers, such as those being built according to the Intel/Microsoft-sponsored NetPC specification, provide minor additional benefits, adding perhaps another 3 percent to the savings that are possible with centralized management. However, NetPCs are not designed to function if the network is down, since their local hard disk is only for caching. Nor can people install software locally, since there are no local storage devices such as floppy disk drives or CD-ROM drives.

Because of these limitations, even proponents like Compaq say the NetPC will garner no more than 10 to 15 percent of the market. Neutral sources such as market research firm International Data Corporation (Framingham, MA) predict market share of only 1 to 2 percent, even by 2001.

Even at these low rates of adoption, the NetPC might accomplish its primary task: countering th e publicity blitz associated with the network computer (NC) promoted by Sun, Oracle, and others. The network computer is itself now expected to garner no more than 2 percent of the market by the year 2000, according to the Gartner Group.

---

Where to Find

NetPC specifications are available at:


Internet: 
http://www.eu.microsoft.com/hwdev/netpc.htm



NC specs are at:


Internet: 
http://www.nc.ihost.com/nc_ref_profile.html




Information on products in the 
software applications
 category

HotBYTEs
 - information on products covered or advertised in BYTE

---

NetPC vs. Network Computer

NetPC vs. Network Computer
	NetPC	NC
Savings in total cost of ownership	26 percent	39 percent *
Must support local hard disk?	Yes	No
Network speed requirements	Modest	High-speed
Local operation possible?	Yes	No
Primary target application type	Windows	Java
* Compared to a typical Windows 95 workstation. The cost of migrating from Windows to Java is not included in this estimate. (Source: Gartner Group)

---

NetPCs and NCs in 1998

illustration_link (12 Kbytes)

AT A GLANCE: Centralized management for desktops is lowering total cost of ownership by as much as 25 percent. Low-cost, sealed, thin-profile desktop machines could bring minor additional savings.

WHO SUPPORTS IT: Major proponents of centralized management include Microsoft, Intel, Sun, HP, and IBM. Manufacturers of NetPCs include Compaq (Deskpro 4000n NetPC), Pa ckard Bell NEC (NetPC), and HP (netVectra). NC manufacturers include Sun Microsystems (JavaStation) and IBM (Network Station).