Intel is positioning its vPro enterprise client computing platform as a way to fend off the threat from thin client computers.  

In a keynote presentation at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group, touted the platform's ability to merge the advantages of thin and thick clients.

"The future for vPro is in enabling it to be the best 'software as a service' client possible, balancing the computing overhead between the data centre and the client," he told delegates.

Gelsinger argued that the platform would be able to deliver attributes from a thick client such as mobility, a rich user interface and support for features like video and voice communications, while embracing the key benefits of a thin client through enhanced security and lower maintenance.

"This drives a breakthrough in data security as well as in the total cost of ownership," he said.

A thin client is a computer that stores all data and applications on a central server. They promise cost savings in management and offer better security than a client computer because IT staff can perform all maintenance and apply patches from a central location.

On the flip side, applications tend to show poor performance due to network latency. There is also a limited selection of applications that can be delivered over a network.

However, the advent of hosted applications, also known as 'software as a service', has given the thin client a major boost.

Because applications like Salesforce.com or Google's Writely are accessed through a browser, they could warm up enterprises to thin client computers.

Analyst firm IDC said earlier this week that shipments of thin client computers in Europe are outgrowing regular desktop systems.

The largest vendors are Wyse Technology, HP and Neoware, but the systems make up only six per cent of the overall PC market.