Thin to Win?

In the late 1990s it was quite obvious the way application development was headed. There was a huge push for every new application to be Web-based. Visions of fully integrated portals danced in technology managers' heads. ROI calculations showing significant savings in administration costs, and benefits in productivity abounded.

While a good number of legal technology vendors have fully embraced the “thin” client, the so-called “fat” client-server based applications are still very much a part of the legal technology landscape. Where do we stand today? Are the promises of Web-based applications coming to fruition? Are there good reasons to stay with client-server applications?

This article will present a brief overview of Web-based and client server applications and then provide some factors that can assist an organization in choosing between the two. It is hoped that this article will help dispel the modern myth that the Web is always better and provide guidance in your system selection process.

Web-Based Systems

Those who advocate Web-based systems point to two characteristics. The first is that users can access these systems from virtually any computer that has Internet access and a Web browser. The second factor is the ease of administration. With Web-based systems, administrators do not have to configure each user desktop each time a change or upgrade is performed. As long as the Web application can be used with the standard Web browser of the organization, any changes are transparent to the user.

One question, however, is how thin is thin? If we take the meaning of “thin” client to be applications that are delivered through a Web browser, then a thin client may require more than just the browser itself. Some Web-based applications require plug-ins such as Active-X controls and Java applets in order to run. This is significant because there may be administrative costs associated with deploying these clients.

Client-Sever Based Systems

On the other end of the spectrum, there are client-server based applications. Client-server based applications require client software to be installed and running on each client machine. At first glance, this configuration may seem a major disadvantage. However, some corporations and firms do prefer these systems. Why?

One of the major attractions of client-server based applications is the users interface. While the Web browser interface is very familiar to most users nowadays, Web-based programs often require refreshing or multiple screens to display information. This increases the “click-factor,” the apparent distaste that users have for clicking multiple times to get at information.

Decision Factors

So, how do you determine if a client-server or Web-based application is better for your organization? While the list below is not exhaustive, it should give you some factors to consider when making the decision.

Your Development Team

One important factor to consider if you are going to develop and customize the application in-house is the development platform. You must decide if you need to train your developers for the application. It often takes significant amounts of time to train on an application's development environment and methodology.

Client-server applications are developed using a variety of tools, from Visual Basic and other Microsoft tools, to 3rd party programming languages, and even vendor specific proprietary languages that have their own syntax and other rules.

Web-based applications typically are programmed using Java, Java Script, HTML, XML and other Web technologies. Depending on the degree of customization, your programmers may need to be very skilled programmers. For some cosmetic changes, it is usually enough to know Java Script, HTML and XML.

You may want to make sure that the programming languages are consistent with your Information Technology strategy. All other things being equal, it is often easier to pick an application that can be developed with tools your staff already knows, than to send your staff to training.

Your Support Team

Another factor to consider is the “back-end” technology that supports the application. Some Web-based applications require J2EE Web servers to run. For those organizations that typically run Microsoft products, this might be an issue. In other cases, you may not have administrators ready to assist with a Microsoft IIS install.

Corporate/Firm Standards

In my experience, corporate standards are important for all organizations, but many companies and firms are willing to bend the rules for particular applications. It appears that in the legal industry, due to the smaller number of software vendors, it seems the willingness to depart from organizational standards is more common.

Of course, there is a strong case for sticking with corporate standards. The important point here is that when weighing the option to embrace a Web-based or client-server based application, think about your organization's strategy.

Number of Users

The smaller your user pool, the burdensome administration is. When you have a large number of users, the potential issues grow exponentially. If you are running a client-server application, you may have to configure each individual desktop. Potentially, you also would have to troubleshoot errors at individual users desktops.

Troubleshooting Web-based applications is usually a much simpler affair. Chances are, the problems are on the server side. Many firms/companies are able to push out new versions of Web browsers, if there is a version problem with the application.

User Location

If your organization is geographically dispersed, a Web-based solution might assist in deployment and maintenance. Updates will only be made on the server side. There is unlikely to be much travel necessary to each location.

For those organizations with one or a few locations, the burden of travel is usually reduced. This makes it easier to install and maintain client-server applications.

User Travel

There are various ways of handing users on the road. There are both benefits and drawbacks to both types of applications for users on the road. On the positive side for Web-based applications, it is very common for applications to be available from any Web browser, whether it is running on your organization's computer or not.

On the negative side of Web-based applications, it is often impossible to work in offline mode and then synchronize back to the server. For example, an attorney might not be able to enter in time and billing information unless she has Internet access.

One of the benefits of client server applications is the ability to work offline and then send this information back to your servers when connectivity is established. This allows your users to work wherever and whenever they want. However, this requires that your users use laptops or other computers configured to work with your network.

External Access

Providing external access to client server applications can be a significant drain on your resources. Not only do you have to install and configure the application, buy you also must provide support to an outside organization. Upgrades present a similar problem.

For some Web-based applications, providing access to external users is as simple as providing your external users with a URL, username and password. All upgrades are on the server side.

Training

I have often heard the argument that training is easier for Web-based applications than client-server based applications because everyone is familiar with the simple interface of a Web-browser. While this might be true in theory, some Web-based applications are pretty sophisticated and require about the same level of training as client-server applications. The point here is to validate that the training for Web-based applications is truly less than client-server applications.

User Preference

Finally, you can never forget the user. Most software implementations fail, not because of the technology itself, but because the users do not accept the new system. Pay particular attention to users likes and dislikes when selecting a system. Remember the “click factor.” While user preference should not be the only factor in making your decision, do not make the mistake of ignoring your users.

Conclusion

No one solution works for all organizations. Some organizations choose to implement systems that have both client-server and Web-based interfaces. At the very least, it appears that “fat clients” do in fact have a place in this increasingly Web-based world.

In the late 1990s it was quite obvious the way application development was headed. There was a huge push for every new application to be Web-based. Visions of fully integrated portals danced in technology managers' heads. ROI calculations showing significant savings in administration costs, and benefits in productivity abounded.

While a good number of legal technology vendors have fully embraced the “thin” client, the so-called “fat” client-server based applications are still very much a part of the legal technology landscape. Where do we stand today? Are the promises of Web-based applications coming to fruition? Are there good reasons to stay with client-server applications?

This article will present a brief overview of Web-based and client server applications and then provide some factors that can assist an organization in choosing between the two. It is hoped that this article will help dispel the modern myth that the Web is always better and provide guidance in your system selection process.

Web-Based Systems

Those who advocate Web-based systems point to two characteristics. The first is that users can access these systems from virtually any computer that has Internet access and a Web browser. The second factor is the ease of administration. With Web-based systems, administrators do not have to configure each user desktop each time a change or upgrade is performed. As long as the Web application can be used with the standard Web browser of the organization, any changes are transparent to the user.

One question, however, is how thin is thin? If we take the meaning of “thin” client to be applications that are delivered through a Web browser, then a thin client may require more than just the browser itself. Some Web-based applications require plug-ins such as Active-X controls and Java applets in order to run. This is significant because there may be administrative costs associated with deploying these clients.

Client-Sever Based Systems

On the other end of the spectrum, there are client-server based applications. Client-server based applications require client software to be installed and running on each client machine. At first glance, this configuration may seem a major disadvantage. However, some corporations and firms do prefer these systems. Why?

One of the major attractions of client-server based applications is the users interface. While the Web browser interface is very familiar to most users nowadays, Web-based programs often require refreshing or multiple screens to display information. This increases the “click-factor,” the apparent distaste that users have for clicking multiple times to get at information.

Decision Factors

So, how do you determine if a client-server or Web-based application is better for your organization? While the list below is not exhaustive, it should give you some factors to consider when making the decision.

Your Development Team

One important factor to consider if you are going to develop and customize the application in-house is the development platform. You must decide if you need to train your developers for the application. It often takes significant amounts of time to train on an application's development environment and methodology.

Client-server applications are developed using a variety of tools, from Visual Basic and other Microsoft tools, to 3rd party programming languages, and even vendor specific proprietary languages that have their own syntax and other rules.

Web-based applications typically are programmed using Java, Java Script, HTML, XML and other Web technologies. Depending on the degree of customization, your programmers may need to be very skilled programmers. For some cosmetic changes, it is usually enough to know Java Script, HTML and XML.

You may want to make sure that the programming languages are consistent with your Information Technology strategy. All other things being equal, it is often easier to pick an application that can be developed with tools your staff already knows, than to send your staff to training.

Your Support Team

Another factor to consider is the “back-end” technology that supports the application. Some Web-based applications require J2EE Web servers to run. For those organizations that typically run Microsoft products, this might be an issue. In other cases, you may not have administrators ready to assist with a Microsoft IIS install.

Corporate/Firm Standards

In my experience, corporate standards are important for all organizations, but many companies and firms are willing to bend the rules for particular applications. It appears that in the legal industry, due to the smaller number of software vendors, it seems the willingness to depart from organizational standards is more common.

Of course, there is a strong case for sticking with corporate standards. The important point here is that when weighing the option to embrace a Web-based or client-server based application, think about your organization's strategy.

Number of Users

The smaller your user pool, the burdensome administration is. When you have a large number of users, the potential issues grow exponentially. If you are running a client-server application, you may have to configure each individual desktop. Potentially, you also would have to troubleshoot errors at individual users desktops.

Troubleshooting Web-based applications is usually a much simpler affair. Chances are, the problems are on the server side. Many firms/companies are able to push out new versions of Web browsers, if there is a version problem with the application.

User Location

If your organization is geographically dispersed, a Web-based solution might assist in deployment and maintenance. Updates will only be made on the server side. There is unlikely to be much travel necessary to each location.

For those organizations with one or a few locations, the burden of travel is usually reduced. This makes it easier to install and maintain client-server applications.

User Travel

There are various ways of handing users on the road. There are both benefits and drawbacks to both types of applications for users on the road. On the positive side for Web-based applications, it is very common for applications to be available from any Web browser, whether it is running on your organization's computer or not.

On the negative side of Web-based applications, it is often impossible to work in offline mode and then synchronize back to the server. For example, an attorney might not be able to enter in time and billing information unless she has Internet access.

One of the benefits of client server applications is the ability to work offline and then send this information back to your servers when connectivity is established. This allows your users to work wherever and whenever they want. However, this requires that your users use laptops or other computers configured to work with your network.

External Access

Providing external access to client server applications can be a significant drain on your resources. Not only do you have to install and configure the application, buy you also must provide support to an outside organization. Upgrades present a similar problem.

For some Web-based applications, providing access to external users is as simple as providing your external users with a URL, username and password. All upgrades are on the server side.

Training

I have often heard the argument that training is easier for Web-based applications than client-server based applications because everyone is familiar with the simple interface of a Web-browser. While this might be true in theory, some Web-based applications are pretty sophisticated and require about the same level of training as client-server applications. The point here is to validate that the training for Web-based applications is truly less than client-server applications.

User Preference

Finally, you can never forget the user. Most software implementations fail, not because of the technology itself, but because the users do not accept the new system. Pay particular attention to users likes and dislikes when selecting a system. Remember the “click factor.” While user preference should not be the only factor in making your decision, do not make the mistake of ignoring your users.

Conclusion

No one solution works for all organizations. Some organizations choose to implement systems that have both client-server and Web-based interfaces. At the very least, it appears that “fat clients” do in fact have a place in this increasingly Web-based world.