Thin Customers (Global Market)

Market segments

TAdviser presents information on various segments of the global computer market.

2024: Global Thin Customer Sales Hit $1.64 Billion for the Year

In 2024, the global thin client market reached $1.64 billion. Sales of such devices are showing steady growth, as stated in the Research Nester review, published on September 16, 2025.

A thin client is a computer that processes all operations on a remote server. In fact, such a device plays the role of a terminal through which you can communicate with the server through familiar interfaces. Moreover, for the user, working on a thin client looks the same as on a traditional desktop or laptop. The organization of such a workplace provides a number of advantages over the traditional approach: in particular, the administration and updating of systems are simplified, as well as their reliability is improved thanks to centralized management through the server. Thin clients do not use expensive hardware components for cost-effectiveness. Compared to conventional PCs, such devices are more compact and consume less power.

One of the key drivers of the analytics industry is the surge in remote and hybrid work. It is estimated that in 2023, 11% of full-time employees of companies performed their duties remotely, while 27% switched to a mixed work style. Against this background, the demand for thin clients that help organize a remote workplace has jumped: such devices are easy to install and configure, as well as provide convenient access to corporate resources. Thin clients help solve the main tasks associated with providing employees with workplaces: among them - speed of deployment, operational scaling, increased security and unification.

The growing adoption of cloud services is having a positive impact on the market. Such platforms provide flexibility and cost-effectiveness. You can access cloud resources from anywhere with an Internet connection. Another stimulating factor is the growth in the number of data centers: by December 2023, there were about 11 thousand such facilities around the world. Growing your data center infrastructure simplifies the organization of thin-client workflows.

But there are also deterrents. Thin clients rely on the reliable and stable network connection needed to communicate with a centralized server to perform tasks. In the event of problems with Internet access, applications are disrupted, which can lead to downtime and financial losses.

The authors of the study segment the market into freestanding (independent) thin clients, mobile solutions and devices with a monitor. About 50% of sales in monetary terms are accounted for by products of the first type. Geographically, North America leads, followed by Asia Pacific and Europe. Globally, significant industry players are named:

• Dell Technologies;
• HP;
• Lenovo Group;
• Igel Technology;
• NComputing;
• Fujitsu;
• Cisco Systems;
• 10ZiG Technology;
• Advantech;
• VXL Instruments.

In 2026, sales of thin customers in the world are expected to reach $1.69 billion. Research Nester analysts believe that in the future, the CAGR will be 3.3%. As a result, by 2035, the volume of the market under consideration may increase to $2.27 billion. Centralized management capability, cost-effectiveness, improved security features, and the ability to serve geographically distributed work teams will remain the industry's primary drivers.^[1]

2023: Thin customer sales rise 3% to $1.45 billion

In 2023, the global thin customer market reached $1.45 billion. For comparison, a year earlier, sales of such devices were estimated at $1.4 billion. Thus, there was an increase of about 3%, as stated in the Market Research Future review, presented in mid-November 2024.

It is noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the market in question, prompting companies around the world to implement effective solutions for organizing remote work. As a result, the demand for thin clients in areas such as BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), health care, education, etc. In addition, large enterprises and government agencies began to actively use devices of this type. In general, according to analysts, the pandemic emphasized the importance of thin clients as a strategic solution for expanding IT infrastructures in a crisis.

Another stimulating factor is the desire of enterprises to reduce costs in a difficult macroeconomic situation. Traditional computers require higher initial costs due to the use of powerful processors and local drives. However, thin clients rely on a centralized server for computing tasks, and therefore are content with relatively inexpensive hardware components. Thus, thin clients become an attractive option for organizations on a budget. The rapid development of the cloud infrastructure as a whole also has a positive impact on the market: this model provides numerous advantages, including scalability, cost-effectiveness and availability.

The main deterrent is concerns about delays or interruptions in data access. Thin clients rely heavily on a stable and reliable network connection to communicate with centralized servers when performing computing tasks. Failure of communication channels in this case can result in operational problems, downtime and losses.

Market segmentation by application includes education, BFSI, industry, public sector, healthcare, retail, transportation, etc. More than half of the costs, Market Research Future estimates, came from health care. Geographically, North America leads with virtualization innovation and the need for cloud integration. It is said that Europe is showing steady growth, which is due to the focus on the implementation of advanced and secure computing solutions. At the same time, the Asia-Pacific region shows the most active expansion against the background of expanding the cloud infrastructure. The markets of South America, the Middle East and Africa are at an early stage of development: here cybersecurity and regulatory issues are of paramount importance.

The study authors call the leading players in the thin client industry:

• Igel;
• HP Development Company;
• Thinvent Technologies;
• Fujitsu Siemens;
• Fujian Centerm Information;
• LG;
• Advantech;
• Dell;
• OnLogic.

Market Research Future analysts believe that in the future, the CAGR in the market under consideration will be 3.6%. Thus, by 2032, the cost of thin clients on a global scale, according to the estimates presented, could reach approximately $1.92 billion.^[2]

2015:7% market drop, Dell maintains lead

On March 25, 2016, IDC analysts published the results of a study of the global market for corporate thin clients. Its volume, according to experts, decreased by 7% in pieces due to cuts in IT budgets in companies and government agencies. The decline took place in almost all regions.

According to IDC, in 2015, global deliveries of thin customers and terminal client stations amounted to just over 5 million units against 5.45 million a year earlier. In October-December 2015, relative to the same period in 2014, shipments decreased by 6.8%.

The researchers explain the regression in the market of thin customers by the fact that many users of these products either postponed the purchase of new equipment, or cut costs for them due to economic uncertainty and cuts in government budgets.

2015 was hampered by a number of different factors, says IDC analyst Jay Chou. - Although the downturn was expected to some extent, since many organizations updated their systems just one to two years ago, big economic and currency problems certainly had an impact on budgets and deadlines for other projects. At the same time, understanding of the infrastructure of virtual computers is improving, and IDC makes more optimistic forecasts, especially since companies are starting to think about abandoning Windows 7.

In 2015, sales of corporate thin clients declined in all regions except Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan), where there was a rise of more than 10%.

As for the largest manufacturers, Dell retained the first place, but the gap from the closest pursuer HP Inc. remained minimal. American companies control 25.6% and 25% of the global thin customer market, respectively. At the same time, both vendors experienced a rather tangible decline: in 2015, Dell reduced the supply of thin customers by 13.8%, and HP - by 15%.

Rounding out the top three, NComputing ended 2015 with a 13 percent increase in shipments thanks to participation in some major projects in the Chinese financial sector.^[3]

2014: Dell becomes largest maker of thin clients

On March 23, 2015, the Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Client Device Tracker research report on the global thin customer market was published. The authors of the work are IDC analysts.^[4]

According to their calculation, in 2014, manufacturers around the world shipped 1.4 million thin clients and terminal client stations, which is 12.5% less than in the previous year. Experts note that in the first half of the year there was a high demand for these devices, in the third quarter there was a slight decline, and in the final quarter there was a tangible decline.

According to the results of 2014, shipments of corporate client devices fell by 0.2% on an annualized basis, amounting to 5.4 million units. In 2013, there was a rise (+ 3.4% in physical terms) due to the cessation of official support for the Windows XP operating system, which led to the widespread deployment of the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and the weakening demand for terminal clients.

Thin customers continue to be a major segment of the global enterprise-class client device market, with about 96% of sales, IDC data from 2014 show. Deliveries of thin customers increased by 4.6%, which the so-called zero customers (devices without operating systems) could not boast of, whose share in the total volume of the market under consideration decreased to 23.5% by the end of 2014.

Analysts are paying attention to the occupied Dell leadership. In the fourth quarter of 2014, this American company prepared 385,566 thin clients and terminal client stations for sale, which is 12% more than a year earlier. Over the year, the vendor's market share grew from 21.2% to 27.2% against 25.4% of the previous leader. HP

The financial sector helped Dell become the largest producer of thin customers

HP reduced customer device shipments by 17.1% to 360,480 in October-December 2014. The financial sector has become the main stimulus for Dell's rise.

In addition to changing the leader, there was another change in the top five manufacturers - NComputing slipped to fifth place, behind Centerm and Igel. NComputing's failures stem from the manufacturer's financial woes, which saw it reduce shipments of thin customers by 70% in the last quarter of 2014, experts said. At the same time, the company's market share fell to 5.1% from 14.8% in the fourth quarter of 2013.

EMEA Market

Шаблон:Main 'Thin Customers (EMEA Market)

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