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 Assessing The Broad Business Case For Rugged Computing 

 

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According to estimates by IT analyst firm, Gartner, Inc., annual failure rates for 
conventional commercial laptops range from 15 to 23 percent. Since 2003, 
notebook PC damage rates have risen 22.5 percent, with an average damage 
incident cost of $2,900.  
 
Currently, most major US suppliers of conventional consumer- and commercial-
grade portable computers outsource assembly to a group of China-based 
contractors who assemble the machines from a variety of supplied parts on low 
margins. As a result, quality control of individual components and assembly is 
diminished. 
 
Notebooks that meet the more rigorous standards of ruggedness, in contrast, fail 
at an overall rate of less than five percent annually, with some offerings reporting 
failure rates in a range less than 2 percent. These are sometimes built by the 
same companies whose names are found on the PC itself, helping to explain their 
higher quality.  
 
These lower failure rates translate directly into savings in capital outlays and lost 
productivity. For instance, in the health care industry, research from Venture 
Development Corporation shows the savings that can be achieved with rugged 
computing as a result of: 
 

  Fewer repair expenses and less downtime when assisting customers. On 

average, the total cost of ownership for rugged computers over three years 
is 15 percent lower than that of non-rugged notebooks, translating to 
savings of hundreds of dollars per unit. 
 

  Rugged mobile PCs can have longer warranty periods and longer 

replacement cycles versus commercial-grade notebooks. 
 

  With a four-year replacement cycle for rugged notebooks versus a three 

year replacement cycle for commercial-grade notebooks, rugged 
notebooks are 11.6 percent less expensive on a per-annum basis. 
 

  Failure of commercial-grade notebooks results in an average of 30-60 

minutes of lost productivity per day for a care giver. With reliable, rugged 
mobile computing solutions, healthcare professionals can maximize 
productivity and uptime. 

 
No matter the industry, solution or application, it is critical to find the right device, 
with the right level of ruggedness, for the tasks at hand.  
 

…Gearing up for Fully Rugged Solutions 

 
Organizations with “fully rugged” requirements should look for computing 
platforms that have been independently tested and found to comply with the MIL-

Summary of Contents for The Toughbook 52

Page 1: ...s for reliable computing while describing the elements for different levels of ruggedness It reports on the spectrum of mission critical mobile users who have different levels of needs for rugged comp...

Page 2: ...developments enable continuous communication with employees outside of the office This observation is further supported by a study from the Washington DC based Telework Coalition which found that 89 o...

Page 3: ...experiencing some form of mishap drop knock and spill with their laptop These findings are in line with research conducted in 2005 by Framingham MA based IDC which showed that dropping while carrying...

Page 4: ...ing to executives seeking to field a mobile work force with cost effective and highly reliable computing resources What they are learning as they deploy new more rugged mobile computing equipment is t...

Page 5: ...ination by Fluids Salt Fog Sand and Dust Icing Freezing Rain Explosive Atmosphere arcing sparks Leakage High Temperature Low Temperature Temperature Shock Solar Radiation Sunshine Low Pressure Altitud...

Page 6: ...es include but are not limited to Consultants and other business executives who carry their entire office with them during engagements These engagements often call for extended visits with clients at...

Page 7: ...d important user base for rugged computing products especially with vehicle mounted computing installations In private industry rugged computing is used especially in the medical petrochemical utiliti...

Page 8: ...to savings in capital outlays and lost productivity For instance in the health care industry research from Venture Development Corporation shows the savings that can be achieved with rugged computing...

Page 9: ...ve 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 damp...

Page 10: ...are many of the internal features of fully rugged devices such as shock absorbing flexible connectors and specially engineered shock resistant hard and optical drive components Semi and Business Rugge...

Page 11: ...is rising across both traditional and non traditional markets The demand is driven by the growth in numbers of mobile workers new wireless broadband capabilities and the fact that more frequent use o...

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