March 12, 2015. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works and CROC completed a pilot version of a virtual desktop system that enables users to switch from PCs to ‘thin clients’.

‘Desktop virtualization is a computer technology and infrastructure that makes it possible to transfer all of a personal computer’s functions (calculations, company and user data storage, Windows settings and desktops) onto a virtual space on a server. This means that the software becomes independent from the hardware,’ MMK says.

‘Thin clients’ are special desktop terminals whose hardware components are much less complicated than those of a traditional PC. A thin client normally relies on a simplified version of an OS and has no hard drive or movable parts. This means a modem-sized box rather than a bulky system unit. All the applications and files get stored on a server, so it only takes a few minutes to get a new thin client connected to the system.

The new system results in a significant drop in management costs through centralization of computer software systems and decreased need for workstation and client software maintenance. Besides, desktop virtualization provides greater security levels for MMK’s data assets.