The Upgrading Dilemma

1
The Upgrading Dilemma

• Art Rhyno
• Leddy Library, University of Windsor
• Jan. 21, 1999

2
Outline

• From Centralized to Decentralized Systems, and
  Back Again ?
• Total Cost of Ownership
• Silver Bullets ? - the promise and realities of
  thin clients and network computing
• Leasing - can it work and does it save money
• Radical Solutions
• Some Lessons Learned from the Trenches
• Discussion

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From Centralized to Decentralized Systems, and
Back Again ?

• Dropping the Mainframe (but dont crush the
  users)
• The Dark Side of Client/Server
• Thin Clients, Network Computers
• Milestones
• In 1987, the Gartner Group introduces concept of
  Total Cost of Ownership
• 1996-1998 TCO costs gain major media attention
• Individual Yearly TCO cost estimates Fortune
  Magazine 9000, Economist 6400, New York
  Times 13,000, Business Week 8,000

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Total Cost of Ownership

• Up-front PC costs are a fraction of total costs

Software Licensing Fees/ Hardware Replacement Fees


Electrical/Physical Infrastructure
(Furniture,Hydro,Network Costs, etc.)
End-User Support Training


Peripherals (printers, speakers, etc.)
Supplies (paper, backup media, ink cartridges,
etc.)
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Silver Bullets - the promise and realities of
thin clients and network computing

• The Citrix Solution
• 100 server-based
• Allows an organization to leverage its existing
  computing and network infrastructure
• Citrix classic Winframe offering supplies NT
  3.51 environment and attractive concurrent
  license fee structure
• NT 4.0 environment requires Citrix Metaframe with
  Microsoft Terminal Server and much more expensive
  per-user license structure

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Silver Bullets - the promise and realities of
thin clients and network computing

• Network Computers
• Java Virtual Machine with applications downloaded
  from server
• Midrange hardware requirements on client
• Very dependent on the availability of java
  applications to meet user requirements
• Mixed results in the real world. Sun didnt ship
  usable product until long after announcement.
  Citrix approach continues to be far more popular

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Silver Bullets - the promise and realities of
thin clients and network computing
Side by Side Network Computers Citrix Stations
Key Advantage Centralized Management
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Leasing - can it work and does it save money?
If it appreciates, buy it, if it depreciates,
rent (lease) it - J. Paul Getty III

• pay as you go rather than pay to own
• N -1 leasing arrangements may offer greatest
  savings
• difficult to achieve in an academic environment,
  public libraries have made far more use of
  leasing arrangements than universities and
  colleges
• may have greatest value in ensuring budget line
  for equipment exists, not a lot of evidence to
  prove it is cheaper than buying equipment directly

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Radical Solutions

• Refuse to Constantly Upgrade
• The Pioneer and the Leapfrog
• Hope that nothing breaks in the meantime !
• Choose Linux
• The Cathedral and the Bazaar
• Requires far less hefty hardware than Windows and
  sophisticated tools available for network
  management
• Oracle, Informix, and most significantly, Corel
  have embraced
• Open Source software is a good match for
  libraries, probably not an option for many
  libraries yet but would offer great alternative
  if trend continues

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Some Lessons Learned from the Trenches Try to
make hardware/software upgrades an annual
operating expense rather than a periodic
capital crisis - Robert N. Kavanagh

• Multiple solutions may make the most sense
• Tightly manage PC-based staff desktops
• Deploy network computers for public access
• Use Winframe server to supply access to
  windows-based applications on public stations
• Applications are the key
• If most applications can be delivered through a
  browser, network computers may be option
• Windows applications will continue to need some
  strong hardware on either the desktop or on a
  remote server

11
Discussion

• Experiences, advice and cautionary tales welcome !