Rugged versus Consumer Cost of Ownership

Feb. 11, 2014
New online calculator is designed to help determine the total cost of ownership differences between rugged tablets and consumer tablets.

Over the past few years, we’ve increasingly seen more examples of consumer technologies, such as smartphones and tablets, being used for industrial applications. This trend is becoming more ubiquitous as companies allow or mandate BYOD initiatives.

But somehow, the use of mobile devices for these applications has largely sidestepped the whole rugged-versus-consumer discussion that typically comes into play. Such industrial-versus-consumer comparisons are extremely common and range from knowing the difference between industrial and consumer grade networking cables and connectors to differentiating between enterprise and industrial IT expertise for security purposes. Unlike routers, cables and connectors, mobile devices have not yet fully entered the industrial versus consumer debate, likely due to the fact that smart phones and tablets are not fixed parts of the industrial operation.

Despite this fact, as reliance on mobile devices grows, increased calls for their ruggedization will surely follow, even it is not adhered to as stringently as it is for installed network devices.

For those considering the use of ruggedized mobile devices, Xplore Technologies and VDC Research have created an online calculator to help users determine the cost of deploying rugged versus consumer devices. Granted, as a supplier of rugged mobile devices, Xplore Technologies has a message to convey around the products it sells, but that does not negate the overall point. After all, in some applications, the cost of regularly replacing consumer tablets could far outweigh the higher initial cost of a rugged tablet.

“VDC Research has conducted extensive research on the total cost of ownership (TCO) for mobile devices used by frontline mobile workers. Backed by a rigorous and in-depth primary research campaign, the TCO models reflect the aggregate responses from technology decision makers in organizations across multiple industries, representing various mobile use cases,” said David Krebs, vice president of enterprise mobility and connected devices at VDC Research. “The [calculator] is designed to provide guidance to organizations making mobile investment decisions, while acknowledging that all deployments are unique.”

VDC’s analysts formulated cost equations to account for both hard and soft costs, while taking industry averages associated with both rugged and consumer devices into consideration.

The tool is available at no cost and can be accessed at http://xplt.ch/1mwM7EO.

Companies in this Article

Sponsored Recommendations

1 Pole B-Trip DLS8 Series: Manual Motor Controller

Tailored to meet various requirements, this series offers B Trip Characteristics for two distinct rated current ranges - 1A to 10A and 13A to 60A. This ensures reliable and customized...

Versatile 2-Pole Solution for Precise Automation

Altech Corp proudly presents the 2 Pole B-Trip DLS8 Series - UL508 Manual Motor Controller, a robust and reliable solution for precise motor control in your automation and control...

Advanced 4 Pole B-Trip Manual Motor Controller by Altech Corp

Discover superior motor control with the DLS8 Series - UL508 Manual Motor Controller, now available in a 4 Pole B-Trip configuration. As your trusted source for automation and...

Reliable and Efficient 1 Pole B-Trip Supplementary Protector by Altech Corp

Introducing the cutting-edge DLS7 Series - UL1077 Supplementary Protector with B Trip Characteristics, engineered for precise protection in diverse industrial applications. Altech...