A stateless thin client might draw 8 - 12 watts while a desktop computer might take 50 to 150 watts. Multiply that by thousands of employees and the energy savings alone are significant. Customer support call centers are great candidates for thin clients as are many other organizations.
You still get your full blown desktop that's under your control but the OS image resides on the server. In fact, you can architect a solution to get just about any desktop you want including Windows, Linux, Mac OS, and even legacy terminal emulation - if you must.
Every major vendor sells thin client solutions including IBM, HP, Dell, Sun, Lenovo, and many smaller players.
