Over the past 18 months, thin clients have become more popular on the shop floor for data collection, replacing standard PCs.

What is a thin client? Well its a sort of PC with less of everything. A thin client is a tiny, low-powered local device giving lower costs to purchase and to operate per-seat or operator, that is fed and controlled by the server or servers.

The server, forms the brains of the network having all the full weight of all the applications, services and data, rather than a PC that has the applications software installed on each PC. By keeping a few servers busy and many thin clients lightly loaded we can expect easier system management, and lower costs as well as all the advantages of networked computing: central storage/backup and easier security.

Because the thin client is relatively passive and low-maintenance, but numerous, the entire system is simpler and easier to install and to operate. As the cost of hardware plunges and the cost of employing a technician, buying energy and disposing of waste rises, the advantages of thin clients grow. From the user's perspective the interaction is with monitor, keyboard and pointer and changes little from using a thick client.

Flash memory is the critical component of the Thin Client terminals. With sufficient Flash (solid-state) memory and the ability to install user firmware and PCI cards, a Thin Client can perform most of the functions that a user would want to perform at these locations, typically called "point-of-attack" or "rig floor". The Thin Client can be equipped with a sealed membrane keypad for operator interface, and I/O (input/output) connectors that allow the Thin Client to be hooked up to a remote location and perform data recording of processes or history of connected device readings, that could be anything from radar to pumps to drilling apparatus.

One of the first areas of growing interest in using Thin Client technology in hazardous areas was the oil & gas industry, where hardened industrial computers can be very expensive. Thin Client hardware is easier to seal against environmental hazards and contamination, just place them in a protective thin client enclosure and can sometimes withstand a wider temperature and vibration level, due to simplified components and lack of moving parts, such as hard drives and cooling fans.

Thin Clients are also a natural choice for operator interface displays in manufacturing areas where a rugged tamper proof solution is required and where limited "stateless" applications such as Human Machine Interface and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software is the standard. "PC" on a plant floor usually stands for "Problem Center".

A study was carried out with one of the Global Automotive manufacturing greats, (you can have any colour car as long as its black) and the IT department realised the benefits of thin clients, included; lower administered costs, easier to secure and with enhanced security.

The thin clients, were replacing standard PCs in machining areas, were coolant was present, thus causing a problem with electrics and fluid!

They found that, the cost of the thin clients plus protective thin client enclosures were more cost effective than using standard PCs, saving them a massive 47% on the project cost, with the added benefit that the IT investment had a higher level of data security.