The Client Decision Matrix
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The process of changing a user's desktop environment can be a traumatic experience for both the IT staff and the end user. Since PCs have long been organizational fixtures, often being used as part of a corporate rewards system (the best employees often get the best PCs), unless it is handled correctly, users will fight hard against any change toward a simpler client environment. Usually, end users will not be able to see how the change benefits themselves or their company. In order to help sell the idea (cultural change is discussed in detail in Chapter 10) and ensure non-biased decisions are made, a client decision matrix should be used. Defining such a matrix will provide the following benefits:
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By applying the same set of criteria to the classification of each user, you will avoid making decisions based on political or nontechnical reasons.
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When the decision-making process is communicated to users, they will not feel they are being singled out, but rather are subject to the same rules as everyone else.
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Users can be classified en masse, relatively quickly, and decisions about the number of clients of each type, necessary upgrades, or disposition plans can then be made.
Start out with two basic evaluation questions, as described here.
Does the User Require Access to Only SBC-Based Applications? In other words, does the user only need access to the applications already slated for hosting in the SBC environment? If so, the categorization of that user can be easily made.
Is the User's Existing Computer an SBC-Compatible Device? Since the ICA and RDP clients are so thin, a large majority of devices in use in organizations today will work well in nearly any client role. For the purposes of this text, PC includes any common device, regardless of operating system, that is capable of running ICA and/or RDP.
| Note | According to Citrix, version 7.00 of the ICA client for Windows (32-bit) requires
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Table 7-3 shows the resulting decision matrix, with deployment plans for each category of user.
| Category | Deployment |
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| User requires only SBC applications, and currently has a non-SBC-capable device. | User gets standard Windows terminal. Existing PC goes through disposition (disposal, donation). |
| User requires only SBC applications, and currently has an SBC-capable device. | User gets standard Windows terminal. Device goes into pool to be reassigned. |
| User requires both SBC and non-SBC applications, and currently has a non-SBC-capable device. | User gets SBC-capable device from reassignment pool or new purchase. |
| User requires both SBC and non-SBC applications, and currently has an SBC-capable device. | IT staff disables or uninstalls applications from PC that exists in the SBC environment. |
| Note | All users will run an application from the SBC environment—not locally—if it is available. The exception to this rule is the mobile user who may be allowed to run applications locally if she does not have consistent access to the Internet or wireless WAN (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, or others). |
Hach will save over $50,000 in one year just on the up-front cost savings of buying $289 Wyse 1200LE terminals rather than the $1600 we previously spent on new Dell PCs.
—Sonya Freeman, Hach Company
PC Disposition
The problem that arises when updating so many desktops is what to do with all the replaced devices. This can be a significant problem for an organization that is committed to being as thin as possible. PCs that are no longer appropriate for a given user may still have book value, and the company will need to see some kind of return on them. The following are some ideas for dealing with this, based on what we have seen at other organizations.
Reassignment Pool
As the preceding client decision matrix indicates, even if a PC is considered SBC capable, it may be removed from a user's desktop strictly based on the user's need. Why do this? When the total cost of ownership is examined for any desktop PC versus any Windows terminal, the reason becomes clear. Even a new PC with plenty of book value costs far more to support than a Windows terminal. We examined the reasons for this in detail in Chapters 1 and 4, but the gist is that a PC is far more prone to spawn a call to the help desk due to an application or operating system problem than is a Windows terminal, on which very little can go wrong.
The idea behind a reassignment pool is to create a standard for PCs to be used in your organization and assign the PCs to those users with a legitimate need. As PCs come in, they can be evaluated for reuse, rebuilt to the proper specifications, and cloned with a standard image of the operating system, web browser, and the ICA client. The standard image contains the base operating system in as locked down a state as possible, the ICA client, a recent web browser, and whatever other minimal applications are needed. The user's specific application can then be loaded. This sounds like a lot of work, and it is. But it is far less work in the long run to deliver a PC in a known state than to deal with one in an unknown state later in the field. The reassignment pool process is illustrated next:
PC Disposal
Now that there is a plan to reuse PCs that have some value—either financial or technical—what do we do with PCs that have no book value, are outdated, or are broken in some way? The two obvious choices are donation and disposal.
Many non-profit organizations accept donated PCs, but quite often their minimum requirements are high since many of them aren't using SBC, and thus need reasonable computing power to run a newer operating system and applications. Nevertheless, it is worth discovering if your old gear is worth something to someone else. One nonprofit organization that helps with this process is the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources (NAEIR). See their web site at http://www.naeir.com/.
The disposal option has also become more complicated, as most computer parts are considered low-level hazardous materials. Contact your local landfill for information on computer disposal.
So far in this chapter, we have talked a lot about getting rid of the PCs in an organization. This may or may not be an acceptable approach for your particular situation, but it is an optimal one in terms of TCO. For people leaning toward keeping PCs and just running applications in an SBC environment, it is important to understand that this decision will have a big impact on the overall value returned by the project. The following are some advantages and limitations to consider if you plan to keep most of the PCs in your organization.
The advantages of keeping PCs include
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PCs are ubiquitous. It is likely that your organization already has a large number of PCs with residual book value and would like to use them if possible.
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The skills necessary to support PCs are already available. Supporting other types of devices may take additional training.
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PCs are multipurpose platforms that can perform many functions outside those required for an SBC environment.
The limitations of using PCs include
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Public studies show that PCs are significantly more expensive to administer than Windows Terminals.
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PCs have many moving parts that are far more prone to failure than a solid state device.
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PCs are prone to obsolescence, which also contributes to the high TCO. This problem is somewhat mitigated by using the PC as a thin client, but if you plan to run any applications locally, you still must deal with the constant hardware upgrades required when upgrading software.
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PCs require additional configuration and possibly additional software to approach the level of security and stability of a Windows terminal. PCs should only be delivered in your organization if first locked down in a manner that prevents users from making detrimental changes to the registry or loading unauthorized software.
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