Panasonic Toughbook 52 Assessing the Broad Business Case for Rugged Computing - Page 7

Assessing The Broad Business Case For Rugged Computing It is important, however, that buyers and users carefully evaluate all vendor claims around ruggedness. ...Rugged User Community Expanding Beyond Traditional Scope Rugged computing users have typically tended to work in specialized environments in government and a few specific industrial or commercial business sectors. Within government, the Armed Services stand out as the principal users of rugged computing products, where rugged devices can be found from the front lines of combat operations to rear-area support tasks such as training, equipment maintenance, and logistics support. Other federal government users involved with incident-response, such as elements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), also use rugged computing products in field operations. Field operatives in the Departments of the Interior and of Agriculture also use rugged computers. Public safety users at the federal, state, and local level- law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians- make up a significant and important user base for rugged computing products, especially with vehiclemounted computing installations. In private industry, rugged computing is used especially in the medical, petrochemical, utilities and telecommunications industries, where field service personnel are required to use computers in their work, often in extreme conditions. Rugged computing has also caught on in natural resource management and manufacturing, and modern day mountaineers, explorers and field scientists have integrated rugged computing into their activities. However, the rugged computing market is changing to include more than just traditional military, public safety, and field services users. As industry and commerce continue to incorporate information technology and communications into business processes, more enterprises are realizing that mobile computing adds efficiency and value to on- and off-premise operations. Enterprises also see that the reliability and robustness of rugged computing technology can make traditional mobile computing more efficient and effective by improving availability and eliminating costly downtime and outages. ...Ruggedness Elevates Reliability and Accessibility There is a growing realization among enterprises that they can get more out of their mobile workforces by equipping their employees with computers that can withstand the worst physical and environmental abuse and minimize outages. Copyright © All Rights Reserved for Larstan Business Reports 7