IB HL Computer Science | 1.1.4 | System Implementation Testing Comparison

1.1.4 Compare the implementation of systems using a client’s hardware with hosting systems remotely

The benefits and drawbacks of SaaS
(Software-as-a-Service) should be
considered.

S/E, INT, AIM 8 The remote host
may be in a different time zone and
this can have significant effects on
end-users.

Remote access is always slower than local access. Remote operations do have the advantage that they are centralized in a server. Hence any updates are very convenient as they must be installed only at the server, rather than distributing them to all the client machines.

"Thin clients" are simple keyboard+screen installations that don't store data or run software locally. Instead, all storage and processing happen at the server, and only input and output happen on the client machine. This allows very inexpensive and simple hardware to purchased by the client.