How supply chain constraints and security concerns are driving a renaissance in endpoint hardware across the enterprise.
Thin client shipments grew 18% year-over-year in 2025, reversing a multi-year decline driven by the pandemic-era shift to employee-owned BYOD and laptops. The reversal is being driven by three converging forces: security posture requirements from cyber insurers mandating managed endpoints, supply chain normalization that has reduced thin client lead times from 16 weeks to under 4, and the maturation of cloud desktop platforms that make thin clients genuinely viable for knowledge workers.
IGEL continues to lead on security-first OS architecture, with its read-only Linux OS eliminating the attack surface that plagues Windows-based endpoints. HP ThinPro 9.0 has closed the gap with native Azure Virtual Desktop support and an improved management console. Dell Wyse remains the default choice for organizations with existing Dell infrastructure agreements.
The new entrant to watch: Stratodesk NoTouch OS, which converts existing x86 hardware into managed thin clients without new hardware procurement — a compelling option for enterprises with underutilized laptop fleets. Compare Select has deployed Stratodesk in three enterprise pilots in Q1 2026 and is tracking performance data for a full analysis report.
Thin clients and zero clients are purpose-built endpoints for VDI and DaaS environments — lower cost, longer lifecycle, and dramatically smaller attack surface than full PCs. The market leaders take different approaches: IGEL sells a hardware-agnostic OS that converts existing PCs into managed thin clients, while HP and Dell Wyse pair hardened hardware with their own management suites. A typical thin client refresh cycle runs 7–10 years versus 3–4 for laptops, which transforms endpoint TCO math for large deployments.
Compare the vendors covered in this space side by side in our Thin Clients & Zero Clients comparison, with independent profiles for IGEL, HP ThinPro, Dell Wyse, Stratodesk NoTouch OS, NComputing vSpace, 10ZiG Technology, Praim Thin Clients. Every profile includes deployment and pricing models, competitor differentiators, and a buyer's FAQ drawn from real procurement engagements.
Vendor announcements like this one are negotiation events. Licensing changes, rebrands, acquisitions, and product launches all reset the competitive landscape — and reset your leverage at renewal. Compare Select tracks how each development translates into transacted pricing across hundreds of enterprise deals, so before you accept a "best and final" quote or auto-renew an expiring agreement, benchmark it against the current market. Our brokerage service is free to buyers: we shortlist the two or three vendors that genuinely fit your environment, coordinate demos, and run the pricing negotiation across competing suppliers, while you contract directly with the vendor you choose.
Read more enterprise IT analysis in the Tech Hub, compare vendors in the vendor directory, or explore current market trends. For a free, vendor-neutral recommendation, talk to a Compare Select advisor.