Thin client computing is making a comeback. After a brief absence in the late 1990s, solid state devices - which frequently trump traditional full size desktop solutions in terms of cost, resilience, and ease of deployment - have found a niche in projects aimed at helping developing rural economies in the third world.

At the 2005 Web 2.0 Conference, John Kish, President and CEO of Wyse Technology discusses how his company has applied thin client computing as a solution to the problems associated with bringing the third world up to speed, digitally speaking. Thin client computing is not only applied in low cost markets, however, but also in the enterprise sector, which proportionally spends more on their back-end systems than desktop solutions. Today, 5% of all enterprise computers are thin clients. It is believed that this number will grow to 10% in a period of three years. The need for the enterprise market to cut costs in their desktop appliances has allowed thin clients not only to become viable, but necessary, alternatives, often finding their inherent advantages a perfect fit for the enterprise market.

Kish discusses the advantages of thin client deployments in the enterprise sector and other markets: not just fixed on cost but also on concerns such as manageability and reliability. Kish presents a case study from India on the challenges of rural development projects. The primary task before deployment is constructing and assessing an ecosystem of the target community and outlining the specific problems and how they can be solved by digital services. Wyse Technologies has pioneered this microeconomic approach and has allowed for relevant infrastructures to be deployed, which range from helping locals with banking and finances to fundamentals such as helping people learn how to read.