Local councils are constantly under pressure from central government to reduce both the operational costs and the environmental impact of their IT systems.

A new thin client system was installed last year by the Stroud District Council in efforts to save £8,000 on their annual electricity bill. The council hopes to save £240,000 over four years, by replacing 550 desktop PCs system with the system, and roll out a virtual desktop initiative.
Using a single server and thin client Citrix devices has effectively cut IT management costs by nearly 70 % when compared to the management original desktop PCs.
Another advantage of the new thin client system is that it also makes it easier for IT departments to deploy new software applications for all users to make changes that affect all users.
Nick Watkins (head of modernisation and ICT at the council) said: "Each help desk engineer used to support 150 users. With the Citrix solution they could support between 300 and 400 users. The ICT team now provides a consistent set of software services regardless of location.".
This is a good example of how Local councils can reduce the operational costs of their IT systems, with the added bonus of more flexible working.