One of the top issues with hardware and software is obsolescence. This major problem affects any company at any level, whether they are using PCs, smartphones, laptops, or tablets.
A device that can outlast more than a few years of upgrades and advances can cut down on CAPEX and induce considerable savings since the need to constantly replace devices is removed. This is particularly helpful for industries in which large scale deployment of devices is standard, such as in the industrial, healthcare, government, and military verticals.
Next to the actual physical cost, productivity suffers when compatibility becomes an issue. The TCO is based not just on the dollars spent over a five or ten-year span, but on losses incurred at the productivity level, since time is money.
Cost is one thing, value another. Commercial products off the shelf, as in consumer grade tablets, can be attractive at first glance thanks to their low price tag. However, if they become obsolete or crippled in less than two years, a rugged tablet that can last for five or more is a much better deal when it comes to ROI.
Using a product that will have support in the coming years, is upgraded dependent on your time schedule and parameters, and which also is provided with a durability to resist physical damage is a sensible way to look at device deployment.
Consumer grade tablets can crack, overheat, experience trouble with dust, experience static shocks, and more. A rugged tablet is designed to prevent or resist damage, and will last longer even in the harshest environments including many a consumer grade tablet would never work in at all.
Custom solutions are forward thinking with the focus split on the here and now and the future. Not only does the device need to have backward compatibility, it needs to survive the forward movement of technology. Rugged tablet designers can anticipate needs and create unique builds that often foreshadow the next wave of technology.
The military and government sectors are often the hardest hit by failure to maintain support for older consumer systems because they are not a prime market. Finding vendors who can design, maintain, support, and enhance key functionality will result in devices that are smarter, more secure, better equipped, and easier to use while delivering years of usefulness.
Selecting customized, rugged tablets opens up new doors for mobility, while saving money in the years to come as the need to replace devices is sharply decreased. Custom rugged tablets are the smart choice for those with a need for long term ROI.