Thick client technology can support more efficient asynchronous transfers and the independence of data models at the individual worker level can significantly improve the overall performance of a given project. Thick client/server networks are especially well suited for concurrent engineering tasks given their data management and overhead requirement specifications (Lee, 2002). In the field of engineering consulting and design, it is also critically important for companies to have secured networks capable of collaborative design sessions and concurrent design sessions. The thin client technology alone can't scale to this requirement, and when companies have pushed this technology to this level of performance, security compliances have become commonplace (Vlissidis, Hickey, 2010). In other words, even if an engineering and design company strove to create a thin client/server network to support its collaborative engineering and concurrent workflows, it would fail on the security aspects of performance alone. Empirical studies have also shown how effective thick client/sever architectures are for managing server resources more effectively than their thin client counterparts. For the engineering consulting and design firm, the licensing costs for the highly complex CAD software is among their highest overall costs of operating their business. CAD software is much less expensive on thick client configurations as software companies charge a premium for thin...

A thick client/server architecture will have on licensing costs by assigning software licenses only to those systems that need them.
Conclusion

Thick client/server systems are well-suited for the data intensive tasks that an engineering consulting company will have running its CAD applications, their need for concurrent engineering support, and the data-intensive aspects of visualizations for design walk-throughs. All of these customer requirements point to the need for a thick client architecture for this specific need.

References

Guynes, C.S., & Windsor, J. (2011). Revisiting Client/Server Computing. Journal of Business & Economics Research, 9(1), 17-22.

Lai, A.M., & Nieh, J. (2006). On the performance of wide-area thin-client computing. ACM Transactions on Computer Systems, 24(2), 175-209.

Lee, S.K. (2002). Client server-based distributed architecture for concurrent design of DCS networks: A case study. Integrated Manufacturing Systems, 13(1), 47-47.

Royster, K., & Reed, J. (2008). Security audits: Don't ignore thick clients. Network World, 25(30), 21-21.

Schmerken, I. (1997). Taking sides. Wall Street & Technology, 15(8), 56-58.

Vlissidis, P., & Hickey, M. (2010). Thin Clients: Slim security? Network Security, 2010(4), 16-19.