Robust technologies improve competitiveness

The IDC InfoBrief is based on the experiences of around 990 IT decision-makers. According to the study, rugged devices offer benefits across a wide range of industries, including utilities, transportation & logistics, industrial manufacturing, natural resources, and oil and gas. As a global study, it offers insightful findings from six regions: Europe, North America, Middle East & Africa, China, Asia (excluding China) and Latin America.

The versatility and flexibility of robust devices help companies to optimize daily processes by increasing productivity, minimizing device downtime and enabling upgrades of individual components instead of replacing entire devices.

Further study results on the advantages of robust technology are:

• Lower total cost of ownership (TCOs): Rugged devices provide a significantly lower total cost of ownership over time - companies are talking about 10 to 20 percent TCO reductions for tablets and mobile devices and 20 to 30 percent for PCs and laptops.
• Improved sustainability: 43 percent of organizations say that rugged devices with advanced sensors and connectivity features help capture operational data, enabling more informed decisions about energy consumption and waste reduction initiatives.
• Automated processes: Rugged devices help reduce manual labor by automating certain processes, according to 37 percent of respondents.

The study also sheds light on customers' selection criteria for rugged computing solutions, including options for customized solutions, cost-effectiveness of services offered and overall breadth of offering. Drivers for the use of rugged devices in Europe are their ability to increase productivity, their support for process automation, enabling mobile data access and connectivity as well as traceability of performance and results.

Key findings of the IDC study:

• More than a fifth of respondents (21%) are now investing more than 20% of their IT budget in rugged devices. Just under half of these (49%) plan to increase this proportion further in the next 12 to 18 months.
• Rugged devices can be integrated into central business systems, including data analysis and business intelligence (BI) tools, supply chain management (SCM) platforms and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions.
• Key applications for rugged devices include data collection and analysis, field service, inspection and maintenance, and mobile workforce management.
• With the integration of rugged technology, the companies surveyed recorded measurable increases in work productivity, fewer device failures and improved employee communication and collaboration.
• For European companies, rugged devices play a key role in achieving ESG goals by providing more accurate real-time tracking of energy consumption, helping to reduce waste in the business, automating core tasks and enabling the identification of areas for future energy savings.

"The survey results show that rugged devices play a key role in the transformation of industrial operations: They optimize TCOs, productivity and promote sustainability," said Eric Yeh, Managing Director of Getac Technology GmbH. "These findings further reinforce our commitment to rugged computing solutions that redefine industry standards in an increasingly harsh world."