Computex 2006 VIA is to launch a marketing programme that hopes to persuade big business it needs thin-client PCs rather than full-spec desktop systems. Dubbed the Connected Client Initiative (CCI), the scheme will be launched in Taipei later this week.

VIA's pitch is that thin clients are ideally suited to slot into server-hosted "software as a service" architectures, such as those Citrix has been offering for years.

It's an approach that's not only cheaper up front, but cheaper over time, as it takes away to need to regularly upgrading full-function top-of-the-range 'fat client' desktop PCs. The architecture also helps to "simplify IT infrastructure, improve manageability and strengthen data security", the chip maker claimed.

VIA is, of course, a purveyor of low-power x86-compatible processors of the kind less well-suited to high-end desktops than its competitors' products are, but are very apt for energy-efficient thin-client machines. It also hopes its CPUs' built-in security hardware will appeal to enterprises too.

VIA will announce the CCI at its VIA Technology Forum, which takes place alongside the Computex show later this week in Taipei. ®