Thanks to the workforce mobility revolution, there are now endless opportunities to use mobile devices and apps to automate enterprise processes, dramatically improve worker productivity, efficiency and accuracy, and deliver superior customer service.

However, with all the revolutionary innovation that’s been driving these opportunities, there are now countless mobile devices to choose from, and narrowing down your options can seem a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, you can quickly get on the path to the right choice by following a few core guidelines and steps.


Choose Enterprise-Grade Devices

Enterprise-grade devices are rugged and sophisticated devices built for all-day, every day use in enterprise work environments. They often have specialized capabilities and battery life to run resource-intensive business apps, streamline workflows, scan barcodes, and collaborate with co-workers in real time.  Enterprise-grade devices include handheld touch mobile computers, rugged tablets, and RFID solutions such as handheld RFID readers and sleds.

Devices like these cost more, but they typically save companies many thousands of dollars thanks to their durability. They typically deliver a much larger return on investment (ROI) because of the more positive impact enterprise devices have on worker productivity, efficiency and data accuracy.

Consumer devices such as your typical iOS or Android device such as an iPhone or Android smartphone or tablet aren’t built for rugged environments. They’re not designed with the specs, capabilities or battery life necessary for continuous use in an industrial application. They’re also extremely fragile, so while they can save you a lot of money in up-front costs, many companies find out the hard way that they cost vastly more in the long run due to costly and frequent damage, repairs and replacements.

Consumer-grade devices are three times more likely to fail in their first year, and failure rates are as high as 50 to 100% during that time period. Even if they can survive over the long haul, these devices cost an average of 50% more over a five-year period. For an enterprise-grade device, the typical 5-year total cost of ownership is $2,140, but it’s $3,236 for a consumer-grade device over the same time period.


Establish Your Critical Criteria


Durability

We’re starting with this one because it can have such a huge impact on your costs and ROI. When choosing your devices, make sure to consider the right drop, tumble, ingress protection (IP) sealing, and display durability you might need to protect your hardware against damage. It’s also important to look at specs and protection against environmental factors such as dust, dirt, water, humidity, vibration, and temperature.

Different devices have different specs in these areas. To save time and quickly find out which devices and form factors might have the specs you need, we recommend consulting with enterprise technology experts like our team at Sequoia Technologies.

Functionality

Functionality should also be at the top of your list, with questions that determine what capabilities you’ll need from your device and whether you’ll need that functionality for certain tasks or across the board.  For example:

  • Do you need a device that has multi-core processing power and expanded memory to run resource-intensive business apps and provide faster Wi-Fi connectivity?
  • Would a device that connects via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth be enough, or do you also need 4G and 5G wireless connectivity inside and outside the four walls?
  • Would employees prefer a built-in physical keypad, or will a virtual touch screen keyboard suffice?
  • Can a barcode scanner on its own accomplish tasks easily for your team, or do you need a device that can scan barcodes and also run business apps that provide voice, video and photo capabilities?

Take a look at your specific use cases and how you’ll be using devices in a given process or area of your operations because that can determine whether you need a mobile computer, a rugged tablet, a handheld barcode scanner, or a combination mobile computing device.

Scanning and Data Capture Capabilities

Lots of mobile devices can scan barcodes. But what if you need to scan a high volume of 1D and 2D barcodes, even through shrink wrap or when barcodes are dirty or poorly printed? What if you’d like to be able to scan and parse data from form fields, documents and signatures to eliminate manual data entry and automate workflows?

Know what you need in terms of data capture in each area of your operations or each mobile workflow, and choose wisely. There’s a big difference between the scanning and data capture capabilities of a smartphone camera and an enterprise-grade device with a built-in barcode scanner or imager with much more advanced scanning and capture abilities.

Form Factors

Different mobile devices are manufactured with different form factors for specific use cases. For example, our technology partners at Zebra produce industrial handheld mobile computers, smartphone-style enterprise touch mobile computers, vehicle-mounted mobile computers, hands-free wearable mobile computers, rugged tablets, and even devices with entirely new form factors that combine mobile computing with “gun-style” barcode scanning for maximum efficiency and ergonomics.

Make sure you’re familiar with all the different form factors that are available and which ones are typically used in your applications and use cases. Chances are there’s a great fit for your exact needs and workflows.

Battery Life

Consumer devices typically have lower-capacity batteries that aren’t a good fit for all-day business use, and they drain easily. But enterprise devices offer extended battery life to provide full-shift power or even power across multiple shifts, even when performing extensive barcode scanning, running resource-intensive business apps, or even running higher display brightness outdoors in the bright sun.

Some mobile computers or tablets also offer hot-swappable batteries, so you can swap out your battery and put in a freshly charged battery without powering off your device. But not all enterprise devices offer this, so make sure to review your options, review your power needs, and consult with an enterprise technology expert to find out which devices can meet your needs.

Lifecycle and Manageability

Another major advantage with enterprise-grade devices is that they’re designed for businesses that need to get years of reliable performance and return out of their investment. You should expect your devices to last for a minimum of three years, and if you if you choose some of the most durable hardware with the longest extended support options, you can potentially get up to 10 years.

Zebra’s enterprise-grade Android mobile computers and tablets are a great example. Zebra has an unparalleled reputation for product quality and durability, and with its LifeGuard for Android support program, you get up to 10 years of guaranteed operating system and security updates, far beyond the standard Google Android support period of 5 years.

Also, Zebra devices can be easily and centrally managed via the cloud using mobile device management (MDM) solutions such as SOTI or AirWatch, and Zebra offers an array of software and monitoring tools called Android Mobility Extensions (Mx), which you can use to configure, deploy, monitor and update your devices.

Security

We’ve saved one of the biggest concerns for last, but it should definitely be at the top of your list. You need to make sure your devices are as secure as possible, to protect your hardware, your users, your networks, and your data.

Make sure your devices offer enterprise-grade security and the ability to lock down and control every aspect of how they’re used, how they connect, and who uses them. Consumer-grade devices and BYOD programs typically leave companies extremely vulnerable to security threats, but enterprise-grade solutions give your IT team the tools they need to protect your business.

Consult with Technology Experts to Determine Your Specific Devices

To narrow down your choices even further and quickly get recommendations of specific device types, form factors and models for your specific workflows and needs, consult with our enterprise technology and mobility experts at Sequoia Technologies.

We help businesses of all sizes find the right solutions for their applications and processes, with the right capabilities and at the most affordable long-term cost. Contact us today to talk about your business needs, and we’ll be happy to provide you with our recommendations.