A new trend is catching on among some Kenyan firms in their bid to cut down on costs. Instead of a PC for every employee, a single PC is being used by up to 10 people.
So says John Munyiri, IT manager at Dyer & Blair, who adds that the concept of having a central PC is definitely working well for the company, but employees are at a disadvantage.
Having been in operation for the last year, the stockbroking firm has been able to cut down on expenditure by 60% by having a central PC, notes Munyiri.
However, he cites work interruption as a major setback to users. "Since several employees share the resource, if the machine goes down, all the users are affected. It may not be as dynamic for the users as they are not able to manage their own machine."
Munyiri says certain users also complain there is infringement on their privacy as other people are able to view their documents.
However, this should not be the case, explains George Njoroge, MD of East Africa Data Handlers, which supplies Windows PC Station, networking devices that use Windows over Internet Protocol to connect a host PC to serve 10 station users independently.
"If every user has their own configured and independent profile, privacy is assured since the user can only access the network through their password," he says.
The local supplier adds that many users share the resources of the host computer, such as CPU, memory, hard disk and driver, and each user can simultaneously share the resources of the host independently and securely. He says the PC sharing concept can widely apply in an office with a large workforce, hospitals, call centres, training centre, as well as libraries.
The Windows PC Station can incorporate as many as 32 users, Njoroge adds.
Another company that has recently implemented the concept is Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers. Explaining how the concept works, IT manager Ronald Simiyu says one PC with 10 terminals attached on the network is used to serve 10 employees.
"The company has saved on cost of hardware by up to 40%, instead of purchasing the 10 PCs, one machine will suffice," he says. "The PC multi-user also shares the terminal with USB port and touchscreen port. In addition, companies using this central PC system save on licensing costs as only one licence is required."
He says his company has been able to save up to 80% on the software since it does not need 10 licences for the 10 machines it used before switching to the sharing concept.
Simiyu adds that reduced carbon emissions are also a point in favour of PC sharing. "A computer emits about 10% carbon, so using one instead of 10 PCs will reduce the emission by 90%."
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