Abstract
The distribution of information through campus and library networks continues to evolve towards open platforms and the Web, and the case for client/server computing is being fundamentally altered by an increasingly host-based environment. This trend towards server-side computing offers technology managers the opportunity to re-centralize computing resources along a network centric model via thin-client technologies. Such technologies are being widely adopted by industry as methods to significantly reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and improve network performance. Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) is revolutionizing the way we view the role of the traditional networked computer towards a more functional, lower cost network appliance. Colleges and universities, in particular, can benefit from thin-client computing, especially in areas such as campus wide information systems, digital libraries, and computing labs. This paper will cover the basics of thin-client computing and examine the evolution and recent proliferation of the technology and its profound implications for IT in higher education.