Thai TV station tunes in to savings

BEC IT Solution Co., Ltd. is the IT solutions arm of the BEC World Group of 28 companies involved in broadcasting, media, TV program sourcing, and production. It is best known for its Thai TV3 television group. They faced a challenging situation: support the computing needs of a diverse set of employees across all subsidiary companies, while operating efficiently and economically.

Diverse users with distinct needs

BEC identified three main user types within the company who required computer access. The first group uses basic office applications that do not require the full processing power of individual PCs. Shift workers in the news department comprise the second group of employees. They typically are not assigned a specific desk, but need access to their computer files wherever they are working. For this group, ensuring sufficient workstations for all of the users in each shift is important. The final group are employees who visited the human resources department to access web-based documents such as leave applications, job applications, and other forms.

One solution for varied users

BEC considered providing new PCs to its users. While this ensured access for all, it didn’t solve the cost and maintenance issues. They evaluated traditional thin clients, which proved to be too costly. BEC knew they needed a better solution.

When Siam Network & Computer Co., Ltd (SNC) learned about BEC’s problem, they presented NComputing’s virtual desktop solution.

The NComputing solution is based on a simple fact: today’s computers are so powerful that the vast majority of applications only use a small fraction of their capacity. NComputing’s virtualization software and hardware tap this unused capacity so that multiple users can simultaneously share it. Each user’s monitor, keyboard, and mouse connect to the shared computer through a small and very durable NComputing access device. The access device itself has no CPU, memory, or moving parts so it is rugged, durable, and easy to deploy and maintain.

“NComputing’s virtual desktops offer a distinct cost advantage over a regular PC, not just in acquisition costs but also in terms of maintenance and electricity consumption,” explained Mr. Wichai Amatamahutana, managing director of SNC. “With NComputing, the computing capacity is not wasted, while reducing the number of PCs to manage.”

BEC conducted a pilot and found that the NComputing solution supported all of the applications that they needed, including standard office programs and the company intranet. Satisfied with the solution’s performance, they replaced 500 obsolete computers with NComputing L-series access devices for the office workers. The news department also installed L-series in kiosks for the shift workers, saving space and enhancing the overall look of the office. Access devices were also installed in the human resources department as public workstations for submitting forms. With this solution, BEC effectively leveraged the power of their shared PCs.

On the air

The NComputing solution has been a solid investment for BEC. Not only did they achieve their goal of becoming more cost-efficient, but now users have access to all the computing power they need while BEC has fewer computers to maintain.

“Having this solution in place has allowed us to replace old machines with new ones, and also helps us to encourage our staff to work more efficiently while keeping our PC budget under control. We can easily upgrade our machines to be compatible with today’s applications,” explained Mr Pongsak Kiattikhunrat, assistant manager at BEC IT Solution.