A warehouse is a tough environment. You can’t expect lightweight technology to perform up to the harsh conditions that are part of the daily routine.
Consumer smartphones, tablets, and mobile computers aren’t designed for commercial use. Yes, they can perform some of the functions, but at what cost?
Failure Rate
On average, a consumer smartphone will last about a year in a commercial environment, like a warehouse. A rugged mobile computer, like Zebra’s TC70/75, looks like a smartphone, but will deliver about three years of constant use, including repeated drops on the concrete floor. While the initial purchase price of a consumer-grade smartphone might be less than its rugged counterpart, the replacement comes at a much higher price. When you have to replace the device twice, you’re actually spending more to get a less durable mobile device right from the start.
Security
Protect your enterprise data by ensuring the security. Consumer-grade phones—particularly BYOD units that double as personal tools—may not have the firewalls you need. In addition, they bring all their other apps and users of that device into your network.
Enterprise Functionality
Does the consumer-grade device have the data capture features, like barcode scanning and signature capture, or are you requiring the user to adapt a lesser device to your greater range of needs? Can it handle the enterprise applications required to function to the standards of your operation? These compromises impact productivity, which reduce the value of the mobile device.
IT Time
The broader the variety of devices, operating systems, and applications, the more IT time will be required. Rather than provisioning, managing, repairing, and decommissioning a limited number of devices, your IT team will be spending their valuable time doing patches on myriad programs, updating OS as needed, and dealing with technical issues that might stem from non-business use of the device.
The total cost of ownership of your mobile technology is reflected in all of these considerations. Before you choose the convenience of consumer-grade devices and BYOD, contact Interlink to explore Zebra’s rugged, enterprise-class mobile technology.
