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Bloor Research Group:

The Realities of Network Computing

Published March 1998

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``Everyone agrees that achieving a significant reduction in cost and speeding up deployment means concentrating resources. The devil is in the detail." Confused? Unsure? Sick of the hype? The Realities of Network Computing will let you see the wood for the trees

Who Should Buy This Report? IT Directors Understand the fundamental issues and technologies involved in delivering a manageable, scalable and cost-effective IT architecture. IT Managers Understand the options you have with existing technology and the advantages and disadvantages of the new alternatives. Hardware and Software Vendors Be prepared for customers informed by Bloor Research's authoritative view of the market and the issues. Systems Integrators and Outsourcing Companies Appreciate the pros and cons of the different approaches to a well managed and minimal cost network computing environment.

The Issues Do any of the following questions ring a bell: You have to reduce total cost of IT ownership, but do your problems really lie with cost of acquisition, cost of managing the desktop, running costs or user management costs? To reduce costs and improve manageability, should you download software from a server to a managed PC, download (Java) software on an as needs basis (to a Network Computer), or give users Windows terminal access to applications running on the server? If you adopt a network-centric approach, what about the incremental costs incurred for servers and networks as more devices are added? Are you concerned about the current lack of Java applications? What's the difference between a Windows Terminal and a Windows Based Terminal? Are you running Windows applications on X-Terminals? (If not, you can.) How do you persuade users to hand control back to the IT function? We're all doing Network Computing - to do it better doesn't have to mean Network Computers or NetPCs, or better managed high spec PCsÖ

Why You Should Buy This Report! The Realities of Network Computing is: Comprehensive - assessing the real issues involved in network computing, the range of relevant technologies and the options they give you. Highly readable - cutting through vendor hype and technical jargon. Pragmatic - suggesting real world business solutions. The Realities of Network Computing will enable you to cut through the latest wave of industry hype and confusion. It explores all the ramifications of the total cost of ownership debate, explains existing and imminent technology, and gives you the information to make the right decisions for your organisation.

The Content of the Report We have talked to the major hardware and software vendors and probed what they've told us to discover the real position now and where they are positioning themselves for the future. Key desktop technologies are described, we have also looked at server-based execution and managing the central server space. The main questions we answer are: What hardware and software is really available now? What are the people issues? What will the future bring? Has the NC missed its window of opportunity? Is the argument still NC versus PC; or has it moved on? What are the ways forward? What issues should be considered? What should you be doing now - should you move or wait?

Related reports:

• Bloor Research Group: The Enterprise By Other Means
• Bloor Research Group: The Enterprise By Other Means- an NC Survey
• Bloor Research Group: Enterprise in Transition