Stockholm, 10 July 2006 – The Swedish municipality of Motala has chosen IGEL Technology to supply Thin Clients for the modernisation of its schools’ IT infrastructure. This consists of 1,500 PCs which are currently operated in a similar way to Thin Clients. The gradual migration to IGEL Clever Clients is already under way and will be expanded over the next few years. Motala’s Server-Based Computing Model is based on a low-cost combination of IGEL Clients with Linux firmware and the ThinLinc terminal server solution from Swedish manufacturer Cendio.

Motala, a medium-sized municipality with about 42,000 inhabitants, decided to migrate to Server-Based Computing in 2003, after it became clear that its schools were in need of more robust, centrally managed terminals. The Thin Clients for Schools project has cut the schools’ IT costs by 40%. The average number of students per computer workstation is also down from 8 to 5.7.

IGEL’s Clever Clients will enable Motala to reap even greater benefits from the savings potential of the ThinLinc terminal server solution. Real Thin Clients make administration even easier and more cost-effective. Furthermore, Thin Clients reduce the risk of theft in schools, as they cannot be used without being connected to the network. Environmental benefits over PCs include a reduction in energy costs of approximately 66%, silent operation with no fans or hard drives, and a longer service life of six to seven years. PCs are generally obsolete after just 3 years.

Both students and teachers are benefiting from the higher availability and reliability of their IT systems and the very low levels of hardware and software failure. In addition, teaching applications can now be provided quickly and easily.

"Thin clients are cheaper and have a longer service life than PCs,” says Jonas Wiman, IT Manager at Motala Council. “That also makes them more environmentally friendly. We chose IGEL Clients because they offer exceptional quality and yet are keenly priced "IGEL offered us the best solution, including ThinLinc Client and bi-directional audio support.”