IT contractors could save small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) a significant amount of money by switching their computing to a thin client model, it is claimed.

Thin client models, which use a central server to do complete most of the computing operations, can reduce an SME's energy costs by 51 per cent compared to traditional PCs, according to research from Lancaster University and Thinspace.

In addition, when used in conjunction with cloud computing data storage, hardware costs would fall by 61 per cent and maintenance bills by 71 per cent, the research found.

"Our model focused on small business because they often think they wouldn’t benefit because of needing additional servers and other infrastructure. You save on several fronts," according to Thinspace chief executive officer Lisa Layzell.

According to the International Data Corporation, take-up of cloud computing has been so high that it is now seen as a mainstream technology.