Assessing The Broad Business Case For Rugged Computing
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2
Assessing the Broad Business Case for
Rugged Mobile Computing Devices
While the concept of rugged computing has been pioneered by users working in
extreme environmental conditions, there is growing evidence that a broader
business market is developing for this category of mobile computers. The new
trend is driven by three factors:
•
The number of mobile workers as a percentage of the overall workforce is
growing;
•
New broadband wireless technologies (EVDO
1
and HSDPA
2
and Gobi in
particular) increase the opportunities to connect to key information
resources from more places and at any time; and
•
Increased usage of mobile computers in a greater variety of environments
exposes these devices to greater risk of physical harm.
According to analysts at Boonton, NJ-based Insight Research, employers are
now actively promoting the expansion of their mobile workforce, especially as
new technology 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 of the top 100 US companies offer telecommuting;
•
58 percent of companies consider themselves a virtual workplace;
•
Only nine percent of employees worked at headquarters; and
•
67 percent of all workers used mobile and wireless computing.
Workers, in short, are on the move. They are increasingly doing mission-critical
work when they are away from the office. While it may have been feasible in the
early days of mobility to use dial-up facilities— and later find Wi-Fi hotspots in
coffee houses or hotel lobbies— the mainstreaming of mobility creates a new
requirement for anytime access.
This helps to explain why demand for wireless broadband services is expected to
grow at a compounded rate of more than 60 percent through the rest of the
decade, while wireline services will grow at only 10 percent over the same
forecast horizon, according to Insight analysts. Business users— and a growing
number of consumers— find that they cannot afford to wait when they need to
connect with colleagues, customers and suppliers.
1
Evolution, Data Only or Evolution, Data Optimized
2
High-Speed Downlink Packet Access
