Linux Thin Clients: Lifting Wyse to Biggest Month Ever?

Even as the economy went into a nosedive, Wyse Technology Inc.’s thin client sales continued to climb higher. In fact, Wyse — which increasingly promotes Linux-based solutions through channel partners — says the company generated record revenue in October. How is that possible? Here’s the scoop.

First, some background: Since Wyse is privately held, it’s difficult to estimate just how well the company is performing. But according to Chief Marketing Officer Jeff McNaught, Wyse generated record sales in October.

In recent months, Wyse has been promoting thin desktop and mobile client devices running a “Wyse Enhanced” version of Novell’s SUSE Linux Enterprise. Early demand for those systems appears strong.

Wyse and Novell both point to an IDC report, predicting that the:

Windows Slims Down, Too

Sounds impressive. But it’s important to note that Wyse also supports Windows in a big way on thin clients.

Eager adopters include Hilton Hotels, which leverages Wyse thin clients running Windows XP Embedded for call center applications. Hilton had nearly 700 Wyse V90 and V90LE thin clients in 2007, and that number was expected to double through the course of 2008.

Ultimately, Wyse is winning because the company supports customer choice (Windows or Linux). Plus, the thin client model allows businesses to re-centralize desktop management, and eliminates many of the hidden break-fix costs associated with PCs.

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