Panasonic Toughbook 52 Assessing the Broad Business Case for Rugged Computing - Page 9

Assessing The Broad Business Case For Rugged Computing STD-810F test procedures that most closely reflect the challenges targeted users will face in the field. These tests include drop-, shock-, moisture-, dust- and vibration-resistance, exposure to extremely low and high temperatures, and other stressors. Third party certification is critical. But it is also important for buyers to understand which elements of the MIL-STD-810F were in fact tested. At a minimum, fully rugged notebooks should be suited for highly demanding portable and vehicle-based assignments in harsh field and industrial environments. Buyers should look for metallic cases (such as magnesium alloy) that have been shown to be 20 times stronger than plastic. LCD screens should be fully sealed and internally dampened to provide extra protection against moisture, dust, and shock. Screen brightness should be 500 NITS or higher to support outdoor readability. Sealed cases and fanless designs, as well as spill-resistant keyboards and touchpads should also be included to provide protection from the weather, spills, and splashes that are an inevitable reality in mobile computing environments. At a minimum, organizations that have this requirement should know how to use the IEC's IP standard to determine how much dust and water the product can withstand and still operate. Hard and optical disk drives should be mounted in damping materials and equipped with various other shock insulation features, including flexible connections between boards and components to protect mission-critical data from the dangers of shocks, bumps and drops. Finally, reinforced, integrated broadband wireless communication equipment and antenna should be built into the machine to protect it against damage while maximizing the ability to access information from any place at any time. ...Fully Rugged in Commercial Environment Del Taco, the Lake Forest, California-based restaurant chain, uses fully rugged computers to improve production line efficiency and cut information technology maintenance costs. For instance, to improve drive-through customer experience, Del Taco deployed a wireless, network-enabled rugged thin client mobile computing system. Employees can now walk out into the weather, into the drivethrough line to take orders. The system streamlined service during busy breakfast and lunch rush periods. Del Taco relies on rugged computers to monitor vendor sites and maintain equipment. They allow Del Taco's technical support team to immediately evaluate and remediate problematic restaurant workstation equipment. This has reduced the need for outside technical support, which helped Del Taco cut $700,000 in third-party IT service calls in the first year of using rugged PCs. Copyright © All Rights Reserved for Larstan Business Reports 9