HOUSTON, TX – Citrix Synergy, May 20, 2008 – IGEL Technology, the world’s third largest thin client vendor, today announced that according to a new study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT), desktop PCs have twice the negative impact on the environment and climate as thin clients, while still offering equivalent functionality.  Conducted in early 2008, the study offers the most thorough examination of desktop PCs and IGEL thin clients in terms of their relative environmental impact during production and subsequent service life. In particular, the study evaluated their impact on greenhouse gas emissions in terms of their Global Warming Potential (GWP).  The study found that during a five-year lifecycle (including production, operation and disposal), thin clients are both more environmentally friendly and more economical than PC workstations.

“Ecology and economics are not mutually exclusive, though many companies still fail to recognize this,” notes Heiko Gloge, Managing Director of IGEL Technology. “The combination of desktop virtualization technology with IGEL’s unique digital services approach has made it possible to deliver a full PC experience via a thin client.  Add that to the environmental benefits of PCs versus thin clients, and its easy to see that server-based computing and desktop virtualization with thin clients are superb ways to save money while instituting more economical and environmentally friendly computing.”

The report also identifies IT departments as an often-overlooked contributor to global warming and suggests ways companies can curb the CO2 emissions caused by their IT resources.  Key metrics from the report include:

• In Europe, the quantity of old electrical equipment is growing at a rate almost three times faster than other   types of waste. This has tremendous ecological consequences for the developing world -- where IT waste is often disposed of.

• 2% of global CO2 emissions are caused by the manufacture, use and disposal of equipment in the information sector [Gartner 2007]. In addition, 2% of U.S. power consumption can be attributed to computers and the corresponding network components.

• Replacing a PC with a thin client reduces the emission of a workstation by more than 54%. For a company with 300 workstations, the use of thin clients can save more than 148 tons of C02 emissions over a five year period. A Volkswagen Golf TDI could drive more than 1,090,000 km -- and circle the earth 27 times -- with this volume of emissions.

The report's overwhelming conclusion is that a widespread shift from PCs to thin clients would have enormous benefits for the environment. Evidence is mounting that CO2 is responsible for global warming, and yet CO2 emissions continue to rise globally. Any company concerned with the environment should consider replacing its PCs with thin clients, which are not only a greener but also a more secure alternative to traditional desktops. 

To view the complete study from Fraunhofer UMSICHT titled, “An Environmental Comparison of PC and Thin Client Workstations 2008,” please visit the homepage of Fraunhofer UMSICHT and IGEL Technology: http://it.umsicht.fraunhofer.de/TCecology/index_en.html