Amazon wants to replace desktops in offices with this inexpensive ‘thin client’

The company arrived at the thin client concept through customer feedback about IT spending on computers, which can be between $600 to $1,200 per unit. Amazon Web Services was already providing the virtualisation backend to many organisations with offerings like WorkSpaces virtual desktops, AppStream application streaming, and WorkSpaces Web browser-based access. The missing piece was the cheap yet capable hardware to put in front of employees.

But for these applications to run, Amazon has also built new firmware and a new operating system.

While traditional PCs allow local data storage and software freedom at the user level, the thin client locks down control with policies, permissions, and access rules defined at the group level and controlled through the AWS Management Console. All processing power and data remains securely hosted in the cloud rather than the device itself.

There are major benefits for the IT administrators as well. They can keep tabs on which devices are active, what software version a device is running, and more through the AWS Console. They can also configure groups of devices, each with its own policies and permissions to save time.

The thin client will be sold through Amazon’s B2B marketplace and can be ordered preconfigured such that each unit can be up and running in less than five minutes. This, Amazon says, is much faster than the configuration times for laptops and computers, which can take hours or days.