Unlike a typical desktop that stores everything locally, an end user uses thin clients as endpoints that connect to remote servers where the actual computing happens.
What is an Industrial Thin Client?
Darek Fanton, Communications Manager | OnLogic
A thin client is a lightweight computer that relies on a central server to handle most of the heavy lifting – processing, storage, applications, all of it. Unlike a typical desktop that stores everything locally, an end user uses thin clients as endpoints that connect to remote servers where the actual computing happens.
What makes a thin client different:
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Minimal local storage and processing power (we're talking basics only)
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Needs network connectivity to function
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All the data lives on central servers, not the device itself
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Runs specialized operating systems and thin client software built specifically for remote access
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Costs significantly less than traditional workstations
You'll find thin clients everywhere these days – healthcare facilities managing patient records, manufacturing plants running production systems, schools, universities and more. They're becoming the cost-effective go-to choice when you want centralized management without the headache of managing hundreds of individual computers.
How thin clients work
Thin clients are built around a simple client-server setup where your thin client device is an access point to all the computing power sitting on a central server or data center.
The connection process
When you log into a thin client, you're not actually running anything on that local device. Instead, you're establishing a network connection to a remote server where all the computing happens. Your applications, your files, your entire desktop environment, it's all running on server hardware somewhere else.
Processing distribution
Here's what makes this different: the thin client itself needs very little horsepower because it's mainly just handling display and input. The actual work, running your operating system, executing applications, crunching data, storing files, all happens on the central server.
What gets sent back and forth? Just the essentials:
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Screen updates (what you see)
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Your keyboard and mouse inputs
This is the key difference between thin clients and traditional thick client or fat client systems. With a thick client, all that processing happens right there on your desk. With a thin client, it's happening on a server somewhere, and you're just interacting with it.
Connectivity protocols
Most thin clients run specialized software or a stripped-down operating system designed specifically for this kind of remote work. Here are some example protocols:
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Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP): Microsoft's solution for Windows environments
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Citrix HDX: Built for virtual desktop setups
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VMware Horizon: Enterprise-grade virtualization
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PCoIP: When you need high-performance remote computing
These protocols handle the communication between your endpoint and the server, and they're surprisingly good at making everything feel responsive even though the actual computing is happening elsewhere.
Thin client vs. thick client
If you're trying to figure out which setup makes sense for your operation, you need to understand the fundamental difference between these two approaches.
What is a thick client?
A thick client, sometimes called a fat client, is what most people picture when they think "computer." It's your traditional desktop with everything built in:
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Tons of local storage (we're talking 256 GB to multiple terabytes).
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Serious processing power with dedicated CPUs and GPUs.
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Full operating systems like Windows, macOS, or Linux.
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Can run on its own without needing a network connection.
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Has local hard drives and all the moving parts that come with them.
The key differences thin client vs. thick client
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Where the work happens: Thick clients do all the computing right there on your desk. Thin clients? They're just the interface, all the real work happens on central servers.
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Storage: Thick clients keep everything local, programs, files, data, all of it. Thin clients barely store anything. They've got just enough space for the OS and connection software.
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Maintenance: With thick clients, you're updating and patching every single device individually. With thin clients, you manage everything from the server and push updates to all your endpoints at once. Huge time saver.
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Power draw: Thin clients sip power compared to thick clients. They're not running processors, graphics cards, cooling fans, and storage drives all day long.
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What it'll cost you: Thin clients typically run $200 - $600 per device. With thick clients you're looking at $500 - $2,000+ depending on what you need. And that cost difference extends to energy bills and IT management time.
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Security: With thick clients, your data lives on every single device. That's a lot of potential breach points. Thin clients keep sensitive stuff on central servers behind your firewall. If someone walks off with a thin client, your data's still safe.
Types of thin clients
Not all thin clients are created equal. Depending on what you're trying to accomplish, you've got a few different options to choose from.
Traditional thin clients
These are purpose-built devices designed from the ground up for remote desktop work.
What they are: Dedicated hardware with specialized firmware that's optimized for connecting to servers and displaying applications.
What you get:
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Built specifically for thin client use (no bloat, no unnecessary features)
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Enough processing muscle to handle display protocols smoothly
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USB ports for your keyboard, mouse, scanner, whatever peripherals you need
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Usually compact and fanless (less noise, less to break)
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Price range: $200-600 per unit
Think of these as the workhorses. They give you access to your server-based applications.
Zero clients
If traditional thin clients are minimal, zero clients take it to the extreme.
What they are: Ultra-stripped-down endpoint devices that don't even have a local operating system. Everything runs on firmware.
What you get:
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No OS, no local storage, nothing
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Firmware-only operation (simpler, more reliable)
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Less flexible than traditional thin clients
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Works across different operating systems
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Tightest security you can get (there's just nothing there to attack)
The catch? Zero clients only work with specific platforms. But if security and simplicity are your priorities, they're hard to beat.
Browser-based thin clients
Sometimes the simplest approach is just using a web browser.
What they are: Cloud-based solutions where you access everything through your browser – Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, doesn't matter.
What you get:
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Platform-independent (works on pretty much anything)
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No special hardware needed at all
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Perfect for remote work scenarios
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Your browser becomes the gateway to everything
The flexibility here is unbeatable. As long as you've got a browser and an internet connection, you're in business.
Benefits of thin client computing
Why are so many organizations making the switch? There are some real advantages.
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You'll save money: This one's straightforward. Thin clients cost less upfront than traditional desktops, and they use way less power. Fewer components, simpler processors, no spinning hard drives – it all adds up. You're looking at lower initial investment and lower operating costs over time.
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Managing security is easier: Here's the thing about security, the more places your data lives, the more places it can be compromised. With thin clients, your data and applications stay on the central server. If someone walks off with a thin client or it gets stolen, there's no data on it to steal. Plus, you're managing security from one central location instead of trying to keep hundreds of individual machines locked down. And when malware does show up? It's easier to deal with when everything runs server-side behind your firewall.
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IT management becomes sustainable: Anyone who's managed a large deployment of desktop computers knows the drill, you're constantly running around performing software upgrades, patching security holes, troubleshooting individual machines. With thin clients, you manage everything from the server. Push an update once, and it hits every endpoint simultaneously. It's not just easier, it's the kind of thing that lets a small IT team actually sleep at night.
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Scalability without drama: Need to add 50 new users next month? With traditional desktops, that's a deployment headache. With thin clients, you can streamline your workflow with reduced hardware complexity and low-touch deployment.
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Hardware lasts longer: Thin clients just keep going. No hard drives to fail, fewer moving parts to wear out, less heat generation. We're seeing thin clients run reliably for years longer than traditional desktops would in the same environment.
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Users get consistency: Your team can access the same desktop environment from anywhere, home, office, remote site, doesn't matter. That consistency means less confusion, fewer support calls, and better productivity. Remote workers especially appreciate being able to pick up exactly where they left off, regardless of location.
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Network efficiency: You're not pushing entire files across your network. Just screen updates and inputs. That's a huge difference when you're supporting remote desktops or have bandwidth constraints. The whole architecture of desktop virtualization is designed to use network resources intelligently.
Thin client use cases across industries
You'll find thin clients solving problems in just about every industry. Here's where we see them making the biggest impact:
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Manufacturing: Factory floors are tough on computers. Dust, temperature swings, vibration, it's not a gentle environment. Thin clients, especially industrial thin clients, can handle conditions that would kill a standard desktop in weeks. They provide access to manufacturing execution systems and quality control applications without the constant hardware failures. Everything stays centralized, which means you can manage your entire plant's computing from one location.
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Energy: Power generation, transmission, and distribution facilities often operate in remote, extreme environments that require rugged computing hardware. Thin clients provide a secure, manageable endpoint for accessing centralized control systems, such as SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), and monitoring applications. By keeping critical software off the device and on the server, they enhance operational security and ensure uptime in critical infrastructure settings.
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Logistics: In vast warehouses, distribution centers, and shipping yards, thin clients are crucial for inventory management, freight tracking, and supply chain applications. Industrial-grade thin clients can be mounted on forklifts or used at loading docks, offering centralized management of mission-critical logistics software. This setup drastically simplifies device maintenance and ensures that real-time data input remains consistent and secure across the entire operational footprint.
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Smart City: Thin client technology is foundational for smart city deployments, powering everything from digital signage and public information kiosks to traffic management systems and public transit terminals. These devices provide a low-maintenance, secure endpoint for centralized management. Since the computing load is handled by the central server, they offer enhanced physical security for public-facing hardware, as there is no sensitive data stored locally on the scattered endpoints.
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Retail: Point-of-sale systems are moving to thin clients for good reason. You can update software across all your stores simultaneously, transaction data stays secure, and if a terminal fails, replacement is quick and painless. No data loss, minimal downtime.
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Healthcare: Hospitals and clinics love thin clients for accessing electronic health records. Doctors and nurses can pull up patient data from any terminal in the facility, but that sensitive information never actually lives on the device itself. It stays locked down on secure servers. The cost-effectiveness helps too, when you're outfitting an entire hospital with endpoints, those savings add up fast.
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Education: Schools and universities have been early adopters. Computer labs with thin clients are cheaper to set up and way easier to manage. A student can sit down at any terminal across campus and get their own desktop environment. For IT departments working with tight budgets, it's often the only realistic way to provide adequate computing resources.
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Finance: Banks and financial institutions need serious security. Thin client architecture makes compliance easier because customer data stays on central servers rather than being scattered across hundreds of devices. It also enables secure remote work for employees who need to access sensitive financial systems from home.
What is an industrial thin client?
Standard thin clients work great for office environments. But stick them in a factory, a warehouse, or outdoors? They won't last as long as you’d hope. Industrial applications need something tougher.
Here's what makes an industrial thin client different: Industrial thin clients are purpose-built devices engineered specifically to survive conditions that would destroy typical computing hardware. We're talking extreme temperatures, constant vibration, airborne dust and debris, the kind of environments where computers normally go to die.
Why fanless design matters
Fanless industrial thin clients are protected from ingress with no vents and no fans. While standard thin clients might have perforated cases for cooling, industrial models use passive thermal management. No air moving in and out means no dust accumulating on components.
This isn't just about keeping things clean. Airborne particulates collecting on electronics cause two big problems: shorting and overheating. In a manufacturing environment or warehouse, those failures add up fast. Fanless design helps to prevent these failures.
Typical specs you'll see
When you're looking at industrial thin clients, here's what to expect:
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Operating temperature range: -40°C to 70°C (way beyond what standard hardware can handle)
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Cooling method: Passive/fanless thermal management
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Shock and vibration: MIL-STD-810G certification and special features for in-vehicle use
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MTBF: 100,000+ hours (that's over 11 years of continuous operation)
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Mounting options: VESA, DIN rail, wall mount – whatever your application needs
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Enclosure rating: Need high level protection? Options are available with high IP ratings that even allow for high pressure water washdowns.
Industrial I/O and connectivity
Industrial models come with specialized connectivity for equipment used in these environments:
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Serial ports: COM/RS-232/RS-485 for legacy industrial equipment (because in manufacturing, you can't just replace a million-dollar machine because it uses old interfaces)
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Industrial Ethernet: Profinet, EtherNet/IP protocols that industrial systems speak
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Wide-range DC power: 9-36V input typical (working with the power systems you have, not forcing you to adapt)
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DIN rail mounting: For clean installation in control cabinets
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Multiple displays: For applications where multiple screens are needed
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Wi-fi and 5G wireless connectivity: Wireless connectivity removes the need for wired cables on the factory floor or in the warehouse, providing flexibility to reconfigure production lines and workflow quickly. Private 5G networks provide secure, dedicated, and high-performance communication.
These aren't nice-to-have features. They're essential for actually deploying thin clients in industrial automation and edge computing environments.
ThinManager™ Ready thin clients
Here's something people often miss: buying thin client hardware is only part of the equation. You also need server infrastructure and, critically, good management software. Otherwise you're just managing hundreds of individual devices again, which defeats the whole purpose.
ThinManager is one of the most widely used centralized management solutions for the modern factory and office, and for good reason. It gives IT teams centralized control over their entire thin client deployment.
What you get with ThinManager:
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Manage every endpoint from a single interface (no more running around to individual machines)
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Enhanced network security through tightly controlled access
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Extended hardware lifecycle through proactive management
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Simple, fast system replacement when hardware does fail
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MultiSession support for running multiple applications
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Failover protection so operations don't stop when something goes wrong
Why "ThinManager Ready" certification matters
Systems certified as ThinManager Ready have gone through rigorous testing. This isn't just marketing, it's true compatibility verification. These systems are engineered to work seamlessly with ThinManager networks right out of the box.
ThinManager Compatible vs. ThinManager Ready
This distinction trips people up, but it's important. ThinManager maintains a list of supported hardware, and you'll see two categories:
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ThinManager Ready devices have the appropriate BIOS pre-configured. That means they can download firmware directly from ThinManager servers. It's genuinely plug-and-play – connect the device, point it at your ThinManager server, and you're running.
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ThinManager Compatible devices work with ThinManager software, but they don't store the static IP addresses and need DHCP to get assigned an IP. They'll function, but you need additional configuration steps.
If you're deploying more than a handful of endpoints, that pre-configuration matters. A lot.
OnLogic ThinManager Ready solutions
At OnLogic, we offer several ThinManager Ready systems that combine industrial-grade durability with proven thin client efficiency. These aren't consumer devices adapted for industrial use, they're built specifically for challenging environments from the ground up.
What makes them work? The combination of fanless cooling, wide temperature tolerance, and ruggedized construction means they actually survive in manufacturing plants, warehouses, and outdoor installations. And because they're ThinManager Ready, deployment is straightforward even when you're installing dozens or hundreds of units.
We've seen these systems run reliably in environments that chew through standard computing hardware. That's not an accident – it's OnLogic engineering.
Choosing the right thin client solution
Now you're convinced thin clients make sense. Now what? Here's what matters when you're evaluating options.
What operating system do thin clients use?
It depends on the model, and honestly, what you need:
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Linux-based: Most common for thin clients. Low resource requirements, solid security, works great for this use case.
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Windows IoT/Embedded: If you need Microsoft compatibility or your team is more comfortable with Windows.
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Proprietary firmware: Zero clients often run custom OS designed specifically for their platform.
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Browser-based: Chrome OS or web-only environments for cloud-centric setups.
Make sure whatever you choose supports the platforms and applications you actually use. Sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how often people overlook this.
How much processing power does a thin client need?
Depends entirely on your use cases:
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Basic stuff: Terminal services, simple browser apps – minimal CPU is fine.
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Standard office work: Virtual desktops running Microsoft Office and typical business applications need moderate processing.
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Graphics-intensive: CAD, video work, 3D modeling – you'll need thin clients with beefier graphics capabilities.
Match the hardware to your actual workload. There's no point paying for power you won't use.
Do thin clients work without internet?
Thin clients need network connectivity, but that doesn't necessarily mean internet connectivity.
Check your network before you deploy. A thin client on a slow or unstable connection is frustrating for everyone.
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of ManufacturingTomorrow
OnLogic
OnLogic is a global industrial computer manufacturer who designs highly-configurable, solution-focused computers engineered for reliability at the IoT edge. Their systems operate in the world's harshest environments, empowering customers to solve their most complex computing challenges, no matter their industry. OnLogic has helped more than 70,000 customers worldwide advance their ideas with computers that are designed to last, built to order and delivered in days.
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