The Best of Thin Client Technology in 2025

The end of Window 10 Support on 14 October 2025 has given many Organisations the impetus to pause and evaluate if desktop and laptop devices running a full-stack of Windows applications is indeed the way forward. For a (considerable) number of years Thin Clients have provided an alternate approach for savvy Organisations who have embraced either a Cloud First, or hosted application and data model of Information Technology delivery.

With a large number of hardware devices potentially being consigned to the scrap heap, we set out to identify options to allow for extending the life of these devices as a "fat" thin client - this evolved into a what's next evaluation of readily available thin client hardware platforms enabling our team to provide a full journey from using Windows 10, to re-purposing non-Windows 11 hardware, and finally replacement of NLFFP (No Longer Fit For Purpose - ie: Dead/Old) devices with an appropriate platform.

The below article comes from real efforts (and some vendor conversations!) our team (led by Dinesh Gaire) have undertaken in the past 6 months as we have explored, considered, rejected and finally selected a "journey" that meets our rigorous standards and delivers value to our clients (both existing and future!).

The Challenge

In a fragmented vendor marketplace identify a single, centrally managed operating system capable of running on both new thin client hardware and legacy PCs no longer eligible for Windows 11, while supporting advanced security, deployment, and virtual desktop features.

For bonus points, while the various hardware platforms were available, identify a best fit platform for our client base.

Mandatory Features

The following features were identified as the minimal set of must haves to provide coverage for existing deployments and work pipeline (ie: this is entirely focussed on what OUR clients need now and may not suit everybody!):

• Central administration point
• Zero-touch deployment
• SAML authentication to device O/S
• Kiosk mode
• Citrix session access (via Netscaler or Citrix Cloud)
• Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop session (via RD Gateway or Azure)
• AWS Workspaces (support of DCV protocol with SAML)
• Local browser
• Customisable desktop and boot logo

Considered O/S Options

While not explicitly excluded from the evaluation and testing process, the vendor deployed O/S options were at a considerable disadvantage as they are all made available for their respective hardware platforms. 

The list of considered and tested Operating Systems is:

• Dell (Wyse ThinOS)  - well understood as this has been a go to product within Microsolve for well over a decade, the HP and Lenovo offerings were a little less familiar, however, all operate in a very similar manner.
• ChromeOSFlex and FydeOS  - both based on the Chromium operating system, and again, were well understood by our team as we have supported ChromeOS devices for many years.
• Windows10IOT - sibling of the full blown desktop O/S
• Stratodesk - Linux based Operating System targeted at lower end mini PC hardware
• iGel - somewhat unknown (in Australia!) specialist operating system designed specifically for mid to large SME's and Enterprises

Evaluation Criteria

Each Thin Client hardware platform was tested in the following manner:

1. "out of the box" using the vendor supplied and installed Operating System;
2. latest available vendor supplied operating System
3. Vendor recommended alternate (Windows10IOT)
4. ChromeOSFlex
5. FydeOS
6. Stratodesk
7. iGel OS

Desktop PC hardware was tested in the following manner:

1. USB boot to ChromeOSFlex for install, reboot to desktop
2. USB boot to FydeOS for install, reboot to desktop
3. USB boot to Stratodesk, reboot to desktop
4. USB boot to iGel for install, reboot to desktop
5. Group Policy deploy iGel install, reboot to desktop

Once each hardware platform + Operating System pairing was "available" (not as simple a process as one might hope), the testing sequence for the required functionality was undertaken.  A number of the tests required SIGNIFICANT interaction with the relevant support vendor support (and in some cases, development) teams and for this we are very grateful to those individuals who assisted - it also highlighted that getting to the point of deploying these solutions is NOT something that can be trivialised or attempted as a "tactical" point solution.  These changes are very much strategic and require high levels of understanding and integration with existing systems!

Testing Outcomes

The two tables below are the summarised results from the testing - outcomes have been simplified into yes/no/partial - if more detail is required, there are piles of notes on the floor of the test area!  We've split these results into two tables, as once we eliminated a hardware / Operating System pairing as non-functional, remaining results for the combination were self-evident.

Hardware <--> Operating System

In simple terms, basic Operating System installations functioned across the majority of hardware platforms (using USB drives and manufacturer provided images) - the obvious exceptions were known in advance and called out by the vendors.

Operating System <--> Feature

* "Kiosk" mode on ChromeOSFlex and FydeOS provides for the auto-launching of a single pre-defined application.  The manner in which the auto-launch occurs.

Key Findings

From the summary table, two OS options gained all "Yes" responses - Stratodesk and iGel. However, there was a clear gap between these two solutions with respect to vendor engagement and ease of deployment - with the evaluation team giving a clear "best match" to iGel - the full results summarised in the following points:

• iGel Secure OS emerged as the only operating system to deliver full feature support across all tested hardware, including legacy PCs that cannot be upgraded to Windows 11.
• IGel Secure OS is available as a vendor installed option by Centerm, HP and Lenovo, further enhancing the value of the iGel offering.
• Vendor-supplied OSes (e.g., ThinOS, ThinPro) provide robust support on their respective hardware but lacked cross-platform compatibility, legacy PC support and had a few idiosyncrasies in how outcomes could be achieved (that were NOT end user friendly!).  If you have a homogenous environment, consider sticking with the vendor supplied OS - for any multi-vendor environment, the change is absolutely worth it!
• ChromeOSFlex (and FydeOS) offered strong legacy hardware support but fell short on advanced virtual desktop integration, customisation features required by enterprise environments.
• Centerm F650 paired with iGel Secure OS provided the best overall performance, manageability, and feature completeness, while also enabling the extension of life for older, non-Windows 11 compliant PCs

Recommended Path

For our existing "thin client" clients the approach is quite simple:

1. Replace the vendor supplied Firmware/Operating System with iGel Secure OS.
2. Where Windows 10 desktop PC's and laptops are in use to access Citrix, Azure Virtual PC's or AWS Workspaces, roll-out the iGel Secure OS (using Group Policy deployment!) to mitigate the risk from Windows 10 End of Support.
3. Upon failure of hardware platforms (thin client or legacy PC), replace with a Centerm F650 pre-installed with iGel Secure OS.

For once there was an obvious clear path that fits clients of all sizes that have implemented a Cloud First approach that is not reliant on a local Windows Operating System.