Magazine Article | June 1, 2003

The Rise Of Rugged Mobile Computing

$138 million ProSys Information Systems plans to exceed $5 million in mobile computing sales by targeting the telco and utilities markets.

Business Solutions, June 2003
Written by: Dan Schell
Capitalize On The Need For Rugged Mobile Computing

The mobile computing solutions that ProSys Information Systems (Norcross, GA) designs for its customers almost always include Panasonic Computer Solutions (Secaucus, NJ) Toughbook laptop computers. That's because ProSys mobile computing customers need laptops that are rugged enough to withstand moisture and dirt, drops, rattles, and exposure to extremely high/low temperatures. Each Toughbook features a magnesium alloy LCD case that is 20 times stronger than ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic. Other models include full magnesium cases to protect all system components. In 2002, nearly $5 million worth of ProSys' sales were related to Panasonic ruggedized products.

According to Eileen Thompson, an account executive at ProSys, her sales of Toughbooks are split between the public safety (e.g. fire/police departments, emergency medical) and telecommunications/utilities markets. "We've had success offering regional seminars for the decision-makers in these markets," Thompson explains. "At the seminars, we have representatives from companies like Panasonic and Gamber Johnson [see sidebar on page 86] on hand to answer product or integration questions. We also offer advice on how to obtain grants for public safety mobile computing solutions."

Test For Ruggedness
Thompson says the most common Panasonic model ProSys sells is the Toughbook 28. This model is designed using the Department of Defense's MIL-STD-810F test procedures. For example, the MIL-STD-810F drop test consists of dropping a Toughbook 28 in non-operating mode onto each face, edge, and corner for a total of 26 drops from a height of 36 inches. The drop surface is two-inch-thick plywood over a steel plate over concrete. Not only can these units withstand this drop test, they have spill-resistant keyboards; shock-mounted, removable, 30 GB hard drives encased in stainless steel; and full magnesium alloy cases. That tough outer shell protects a 1 GHz or 800 MHz CPU (central processing unit) with a Pentium III processor-M. In addition to the factory tests Panasonic conducts on Toughbook 28s, the company also subjects these units to testing from an independent environmental test agency in the United States. Toughbook 28s also have 802.11b wireless LAN (WLAN) or wireless wide area network (e.g. cellular digital packet data, Mobitex) connectivity.



Hands-On Demos Sell Storage Area Networks

"What type of company doesn't need some type of storage solution?" asks Bruce Keenan, corporate secretary and treasurer at ProSys Information Systems (Norcross, GA). "So far, nearly 10% of our annual sales revenue comes from storage technology." The most common storage solutions ProSys sells are SANs (storage area networks) from HP (Palo Alto, CA).

To help sell SAN solutions, ProSys bought some of HP's SANs (e.g. StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array, StorageWorks Modular SAN Array 1000, StorageWorks MA8000/EMA12000) to use for demonstrations at its SAN competency centers in Boca Raton, FL; Atlanta; and Nashville, TN. "Sometimes, to demonstrate the fault tolerance of a SAN, we'll give customers popcorn and have them watch streaming video [e.g. a movie] running across 10 or 12 RAID [redundant array of independent discs] drives," Keenan explains. "As they watch the video, we start pulling out components of the SAN such as a switch, a server, or a hard drive - all without the video ever being interrupted." Keenan says clients often bring one of their own servers to be tested on the SAN during these demonstrations. Furthermore, if the customer can't come to ProSys for this demonstration, ProSys has one SAN configuration that can be shipped to the client's location. This sales strategy has obviously been succe

Forget about PDAs (personal digital assistants) and handheld computers. At ProSys Information Systems (Norcross, GA), mobile computing means ruggedized laptops. "We try to focus on one type of product in a technology and cater to the markets specific to that product," explains Bruce Keenan, corporate secretary and treasurer at the $138 million VAR. "Last year we earned $5 million in sales from mobile computing solutions. We expect at least that much this year, especially with the increased business we are finding in the telecommunications [telco] and utilities markets."

Market Growth To Continue
According to a recent study from research firm Venture Development Corp. (VDC) (Natick, MA) titled "The Global Markets For Rugged Mobile Computers, Volume 1: Rugged Mobile Computer Products," the worldwide rugged mobile computer market is expected to grow 10.2% annually through 2007. The reasons cited for this growth - higher employee productivity and improved customer service levels - shouldn't be surprising. However, in these trying economic times, it is encouraging to see end users finally willing to spend a little more for a ruggedized laptop that will last longer than a cheaper consumer model. The study also lists the field service (including telco) and utilities markets among the top five industries/sectors purchasing larger, rugged mobile computing products (e.g. notebook, on-board/fixed vehicle, tablet, luggable/lunchbox, and sub-notebook).

Rugged Laptop Features Your Customers Want
"Usually, utility and telco customers already have experienced the pain of using non-ruggedized laptops for field personnel," states Michelle Clery, president of ProSys. "The non-ruggedized devices have high failure rates [e.g. 40% compared to 5% for ruggedized], are hard to view in direct sunlight, and don't have touch screens - which field service personnel want."

As an example, Clery explained two pilot projects ProSys completed for a telco customer. The client needed mobile computing devices that would connect to an 802.11b wireless LAN (WLAN) and be used for documenting progress and quality control on cellular phone assembly lines. The devices needed to withstand a hot and dusty environment and tolerate occasional bumps or drops. ProSys sold the company 12 Panasonic Computer Solutions (Secaucus, NJ) Toughbook 28s (see sidebar at left) for this project. An additional 50 Toughbook 28s were sold for a second pilot project involving field technicians using the laptops for conducting cell tower inspections.

Users surveyed for the VDC study indicated the following features are most often considered when selecting a larger form factor, rugged mobile computer:

  • Water/dust resistance (including keyboards)
  • Ruggedness/durability (measured by drop specifications)
  • Shock/vibration resistance
  • Extreme heat/cold resistance
  • Daylight readable displays

Other selection criteria cited included availability/delivery of product and parts, warranty, and reputation of vendor. Clery adds that utility and telco companies want laptops with integrated bar code scanners (e.g. for meter readers), GPS (global positioning system) capabilities, and in-vehicle mounts (see sidebar on page 86).