HMI: Buying rugged has lower total cost of ownership

Natick, MA —A new analysis from Venture Development Corp. (VDC) on the total cost of ownership (TCO) of mobile computer and communications devices in Enterprise Mobility Solutions across a wide spectrum of vertical and application markets finds that almost half of the cost of operation is associated with worker productivity downtime during device failure. The report declares that upfront hardware adoption accounts for just 16% of mobile computer TCO, while often representing the single most important selection criterion.

The VDC research pointed to lower TCO for rugged mobile computers compared to non-rugged or consumer/commercial-grade mobile computers for many applications due to higher failure rates of non-rugged hardware. David Krebs, director of VDC Mobile and Wireless Practice, says, “Device failure remains a critical issue for mobile computers with annual failure rates often exceeding 30 percent. With many mobile computers supporting mission-critical applications, the impact of failure on customer service, internal productivity, employee morale and ultimately lost revenues can be significant. Equipping mobile workers with the most appropriate device based on application and environment– and not upfront adoption cost – is absolutely critical.”

VDC says the research is supported by a rigorous primary research methodology designed to draw comparisons by mobile computer type, operating system (OS) platform, level of ruggedness, application type and user environment.

—Edited by Barb Axelson , contributing editor Control Engineering Weekly News ( Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free.)

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