It’s in your hand

For the past few years, the must-have consumer electronics have been tablet devices. Larger than a smartphone and smaller than a laptop computer, tablets make it easier to read a favorite magazine, get driving directions, check the stock market, send an email, or play a quick game of Angry Birds.

With more business-related apps being created as well, mobile devices are also becoming a vital part of office life. With all the freedom and utility tablets provide, are they really the best solution for all industries? An iPod or an Android may be just fine for the businessman whose mobility consists of visits to other offices and tradeshows. But will that same device be able to withstand life in a greenhouse?

Industry insiders say absolutely not. Intermec, a leading producer of mobile devices, published a white paper in 2009 called, “How Ruggedness Reduces TCO for Mobile Computers.” The very first sentence of the essay says as much: “General-purpose PDAs and ruggedized enterprise mobile computers are made for separate markets, are designed for different tasks, and also vary by their size, weight and materials.”

However, the most important difference between commercial- and consumer-grade products, the white paper concludes, is the total cost of ownership. Basically, the higher initial cost of a rugged mobile device is made up by a longer life cycle. TCO also takes into consideration the loss of productivity while a device is out of service waiting for repairs or a replacement.

Independent studies back up the claims in this white paper. In a 2007 study by VDC Research, 18 percent of consumer-grade mobile devices used in enterprise operations were replaced within one year as opposed to 3.3 percent of ruggedized devices. By the third year of the study, 82.6 percent of consumer-grade devices were replaced, as opposed to only 18.2 percent of commercial-grade products.

The same study also broke down the differences between consumer-grade products and ruggedized products (including the varying degrees of sturdiness available) by cost. In 2007 prices, the annual costs of a consumer-grade PDA product averaged $472 for hard costs and $3,758 for soft costs (support, maintenance, lost productivity) for a TCO of $4,230. By comparison, the annual cost of a rugged mobile device is $879 for hard costs, but only $1,851 for soft costs for a TCO of $2,730. Even investing in semi-rugged devices brings the TCO down to $2,868, a $1,362 reduction in annual costs over a consumer-grade product.

Although TCO is the top argument for choosing the correct mobile device for a greenhouse, it’s not the only one. Intermec also supports the findings in the white paper, “Empowering Mobile Workers: Choosing the Right Device,” published by J. Gold Associates.

One of the topics this white paper focuses on is leveraging enterprise infrastructure. Large greenhouse operations most likely use enterprise resource planning systems, such as Sage ERP MAS 500 with Grower Vertical, along with other high-end software products that run on multiple platforms, such as a Microsoft SQL Server or a Microsoft Exchange server. Industrial mobile devices are designed to run applications for these powerful resources with little to no modifications. Consumer devices, on the other hand, must be heavily modified for these programs, and still may lose functionality in an area as big as a large-scale greenhouse.

Both white papers also mention the obvious: A rugged mobile device is more suited to take the beating it will inevitably go through in an industrial setting, such as a greenhouse. Greenhouses have to deal with the same pitfalls that traditional manufacturing operations also have that can do damage to a mobile device (heavy machinery, forklifts, etc.). Combine those with water, chemicals, dirt and mud, a greenhouse is an accident waiting to happen for a mobile device. Rugged devices will have a fighting chance in this environment.

Like any technology investment, choosing the right product up front can prevent problems in the future. Even with a larger initial cost, a rugged mobile device can provide more productivity and less total cost over the life of the unit.

Practical Software Solutions is a Sage Authorized Partner and an Intermec Silver Partner. For more information, contact Greg Lafferty at 704-721-6800 ext. 3019 or glafferty@practicalsoftwaresolutions.com.