In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, businesses are constantly faced with the challenge of keeping their thin endpoint hardware and endpoint OS up to date, safe and secure, and properly managed to ensure an effective and efficient workspace for their distributed workforce. For years, the conventional approach has been the never-ending “rip-and-replace” cycle, where aging devices are swapped out for newer ones, often at a significant financial and time cost. But what if there was a better way?

What if you could find a way to cost-effectively, sustainably, and seamlessly operate and manage all the devices in your environment while extending the life cycle of each device and ensuring every user has the right tools for the job? Enter the era of smarter hardware repurposing, where the focus is not on replacing devices but on optimizing their usage.

The Traditional Rip-and-Replace

Every few years, organizations find themselves compelled to replace their PCs or thin client hardware. Outdated operating systems, security concerns, and storage/performance issues are just some of the recurring problems that eventually plague employee endpoints. In the past, the best solution was a complete hardware overhaul. While this method has its merits, it’s not without significant drawbacks.

Pros of Rip-and-Replace:

• Standardization: All newly purchased devices run the same operating system and software, simplifying onboarding and troubleshooting.
• Enhanced Security: Outdated or compromised endpoints are replaced with fortified ones featuring the latest anti-malware/antivirus software, OS, and applications.
• Unified Device Management: Depending on the thin client, most thin client solutions come with a more or less admin-friendly,  proprietary device management tool, streamlining IT operations. There are plenty of Windows PC management tools in the market.

Cons of Rip-and-Replace:

• No Standardization: Let’s be honest, there will never be a complete hardware exchange. The IT Team will have to deal with different devices (PCs, laptops, thin clients, All-in-One devices) of different vendors running different operating systems (various versions of Windows, vendor-specific thin operating systems, Chrome OS).
• High Cost: Purchasing new hardware for every user can strain the budget significantly.
• Time-Consuming: Physically replacing every device can be very time-consuming. IT professionals spend substantial time setting up and configuring each endpoint.
• Difficult to do with a dispersed workforce: Work from anywhere is the new norm and many employees prefer to use their own device for work (BYOD) anyway, but IT might have to still ship company standard hardware to work-from-home employees, help them set those devices up and make sure those work devices are constantly updated, kept virus and malware-free and connect securely into the company network.
• Limited Flexibility: Exchanging only a part of the devices can limit flexibility and manageability. Proprietary thin client management tools are not compatible and can only manage hardware/OS from one vendor.

Smarter PC Repurposing

The idea of PC repurposing or extending the useful life of desktop hardware, in general, is not a new concept, but many IT leaders have found it impossible due to security concerns of outdated Operating Systems, licenses, apps, etc., and the time commitment required to offboard and onboard endpoints for users. Even if you can identify reusable hardware and secure it, the time it takes to prepare those devices for new users’ work requirements isn’t scalable. Not to mention, some users may find their “reused” computer experience to be slow and lacking, which may result in a new hardware purchase even after all the other efforts have been made.

Best of Both Worlds with Stratodesk

To solve this dilemma, Stratodesk provides a groundbreaking solution that revolutionizes the reuse of existing X86 desktop hardware such as PCs, thin clients, All-in-One devices, and laptops of any vendor. With Stratodesk’s NoTouch OS, a small footprint, Linux-based OS with minimal hardware requirements,  organizations can transition basically any device (older and new) to secure, remotely manageable, optimized endpoint devices, that connect to VDI, DaaS or cloud workspaces out of the box. This approach of re-using existing desktop hardware is more cost-effective, reduces E-waste, and helps companies to achieve their sustainability goals.

Here’s at a glance what Stratodesk brings to the table:

1. Repurpose (aka revive) Any Endpoint: Optimize the hardware you already have with NoTouch, the most advanced OS for connecting to your modern virtual workspace, browser, or apps. NoTouch is 100% vendor agnostic and includes everything an organization needs to establish a secure connection to Citrix, AWS, Windows Azure or Microsoft365 CloudPC, or VMware out of the box. We include all major unified communication tools and DEX products, and partner with more the 100 technology vendors to provide an enterprise-ready, seamless product that is valued by end users and IT teams alike.
2. Replace When Needed: Replace broken hardware with Stratodesk Plus certified hardware or any hardware that meets the minimal requirements of NoTouch OS. We are also the only fully managed enterprise OS that works on the Raspberry Pi.
3. Unify Your Endpoint Fleet: One endpoint OS for all your devices, no matter what form factor.
4. Easily Include BYOD Devices: With NoTouch GO (NoTouch OS, that boots from a USB Stick) you can easily include BYOD devices for WFH workers or temporary employees. As long as the device is in “live-boot” mode it is the same secure, remotely/cloud manageable NoTouch device you are used to. When the USB stick is unplugged, the device will boot from its usual boot medium into the home user’s OS.
5. Enhanced Security: NoTouch is built with security as its foundation, safeguarding against the installation of any unwanted third-party applications and defending against common cyber security threats. Our commitment is to stay one step ahead of the ever-evolving threat landscape, ensuring your data and systems are always protected. NoTouch OS is a Linux-based, read-only, high-security OS, specifically designed for the needs of enterprises and organizations. Disk encryption, secure boot, and MFA are only some of the security features built into NoTouch.
6. Disaster Recovery: If disaster strikes in the form of a cyberattack or any other catastrophic event, Stratodesk NoTouch endpoints ususally are not very likely to be affected. NoTouch OS is highly secure and read-only, and no data can be stored on the endpoint itself. Nevertheless, productive work will come to a stop in such cases and any endpoint will be taken off the network until the situation is evaluated and under control. NoTouch GO-Sticks can be used in these situations to Live-boot every device (also non-NoTouch devices) and connect to a (not affected) server or the cloud. With NoTouch Center the NoTouch GO clients can be managed remotely. That’s how Stratodesk gets organizations up and running again, while the devices and their OS  stay untouched until the situation is under control.
7. Easy Centralized Management: Deploy, manage, and control all NoTouch endpoints from a single, user-friendly platform. Take advantage of NoTouch Cloud, the cloud-hosted management center, or host NoTouch Center yourself. Save IT man hours by streamlining management tasks and free your IT team and budget from constant Windows updates and patching.
8. Effortless Scaling or M&As: Adding more devices into your VDI or DaaS/Cloud or you just bought a company? With Stratodesk NoTouch Center devices can be easily remotely upgraded/reflashed and configured. Everything is at your fingertips, easy and straightforward and NoTouch Center can handle 10,000s of devices in one instance easily.
9. Remote Troubleshooting: Specific Helpdesk features such as “Shadowing” and “Client Identify” make remote troubleshooting for your support team a breeze.
10. Cost-Effectiveness: Re-using desktop hardware and streamlined less time-consuming client management, no Windows licenses needed on the endpoints, no need for anti-virus and anti-malware licenses on every single endpoint .. these are definitely big cost savers for any organization.
11. Flexible Licensing Options: Last but not least I would like to point to an interesting option for many organizations – Stratodesk NoTouch can also be consumed as a pure SaaS solution with fully flexible licensing terms. If you are interested in NoTouch Flex please reach out to our sales team.

In summary, Stratodesk offers the ability to easily repurpose existing devices, extend the life of your current/future hardware investments, and easily manage the whole process from one, central platform. Avoid the cumbersome manual device onboarding and wiping processes, making your hardware user transitions streamlined and painless.

Conclusion: Embracing a Smarter Future for your Hardware

Embracing innovative solutions like those from Stratodesk enables organizations to seamlessly repurpose existing devices, extending their life and reducing costs. With features like centralized remote management, improved support, and enhanced security on the endpoint, this approach not only streamlines hardware transitions but also positions businesses to scale easily and meet sustainability goals. Together, we can shift businesses towards a more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable future while keeping end-users productive and satisfied with their hardware, while keeping the IT team happy.

Danielle Arlington

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