Spirit Data Capture Limited, the independent mobile computing and data
capture consultancy, has carried out a customer survey on the use of
rugged data capture technology. The results underline the significant
growth that is happening in the introduction and development of mobile
computing and communication solutions for key business applications.
The main driver is to improve productivity and efficiency and to reduce
operational costs.
The survey indicates that organisations are planning to increase their
mobile users by 25%-30% over the next three years. The main benefits
are perceived to be greater flexibility, higher productivity and
increased accuracy. Although warehousing is the most popular mobile
application, an increasing number of companies are also deploying mobile
solutions for field and remote workers.
The most common form of mobile technology is still the smart phone.
However, in terms of key applications, the rugged mobile device is now
significantly improving its market share as people realise the high
operational costs of running smart phones in rugged environments.
Wireless solutions are now by far the most widespread, with internal
wireless or Wi-Fi still being the preferred option for office and
industrial use. However, external wireless or 3G solutions have
increased in popularity significantly over the last three years, due to
improved data transfer speeds and the enhancements they bring to the
overall experience of the mobile user.
The main problems facing field-based solutions lie in maintaining a
consistent connection with the central system. The number of
organisations adopting device management has therefore continued to
grow. However. a large number of solutions still operate without any
form of visibility of their remote users.
Ebbie Khadem, Spirit's Managing Director, comments: "This survey has
reinforced the vital role that rugged mobile solutions now play within
any enterprise. They provide a highly cost-effective, secure and stable
solution for both office-based and field-based applications.
Ultimately, they can help to transform the productivity and
profitability of an organisation."