A client can be many things: a PC (or a dumb terminal without a hard disk) on a local area network (LAN); a PC at a remote location connected to the home office via some sort of communication circuit (point-to-point, dial-up or the Internet); a remote PC using an internet service provider (ISP) such as America Online or Mindspring; or even a PalmPilot.

Once a connection is made between a dumb terminal (also known as a thin client) and the terminal server, the computer runs as fast as the server and network connection will let it.

These on-demand applications will store information and the business processes somewhere in the Internet cloud, which is, in many ways, very similar to the old mainframe and dumb terminal mainframe era - minus its cost and its lack of flexibility.