in the next two years, respondents indicated a slight preference ... rugged detachable notebook earlier this year. ... P
S P ONSORE D RE P ORT
MarketInsights
Rugged Computing in Federal Government: More Important and More Useful than Ever
M
obility continues to grow more important
for federal agencies across the board. More agencies are opting for semi-rugged or ruggedized mobile devices for everyone from executives to field personnel. A recent Panasonic survey of federal users and contractors underscores the need for secure, progressive, feature-rich rugged devices that continue to evolve to meet federal agency needs. The survey found the majority of agencies expect the use of handheld devices—such as smartphones, tablets and laptop computers—to continue increasing significantly over the next two years. Not only do users demand it, but agency mission priorities are changing in ways that require handheld use. Other factors include the growth of the Bring-Your-OwnDevice (BYOD) movement and telework.
USER DEMAND
CHANGE IN AGENCY MISSION PRIORITIES
47% 15%
USE OF BYOD
12%
TELEWORK
13%
OTHER
12%
What have been the major drivers for any changes in usage patterns? These findings corroborate existing research on the importance of mobility in government. A Meritalk survey found about half of government managers believe mobile technology contributes significantly to productivity. A Market Connections PulsePoll found 86 percent of federal decision-makers believe mobile devices are critical to their jobs.
Intel ®
Rugged/Semi-Rugged Use is Growing More than two-thirds of respondents indicated rugged or semi-rugged devices were important, and 97 percent expected the importance of rugged or semi-rugged devices to grow over the next two years. Respondents in nearly all roles already use or are interested in using rugged or semi-rugged devices, which was somewhat surprising. Personnel in the field, significant numbers of remote workers, IT personnel, executives and contractors also rely on rugged devices, but that was expected. When asked to rank preference of form factor for rugged and semi-rugged devices, handhelds/smartphones, tablets and laptops ranked similarly. While this ranking isn’t likely to change in the next two years, respondents indicated a slight preference for the handheld/smartphone form factor in the future. When deciding on a rugged or semi-rugged device, the most important feature for agency personnel was reliability. That’s followed relatively equally by price, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), size, processor performance and battery life. Close behind were weight, operating system and display. It makes sense that reliability led the feature ranking, given the requirement for always-on connectivity and access, especially in defense situations. Military personnel in the field, for example, must remain connected even when traveling in remote areas. These devices must also remain reliable in the face of difficult conditions, such as dust, moisture, shock and extreme temperatures. One good rule of thumb: If a device meets Mil-STD-810G and the manufacturer has third party validation of all Mil-Spec claims using a reputable facility like Southwest Research Institute (SWRI), it can probably withstand the harshest conditions. Processor performance, weight and display options also are critical. Balancing form factor with the fastest processor possible can be tricky, but it’s important; especially if the device will be used to run multiple applications. Getting the most powerful processor makes sense. At the very least, consider a dual or quad processor with advanced power management. While rugged devices are generally a bit heavier than their commercial counterparts, it’s important to consider the way the devices will be used and the environment in which they’re being to determine maximum acceptable weight. When it
S P ONSORE D RE P ORT
comes to displays, key considerations are how well users can see the screen in direct sunlight and the screen’s scratchresistance. Other useful features are capacitive multi-touch screens and anti-reflective screens.
Security is Essential Not surprisingly, the majority of respondents said it was very important for a rugged or semi-rugged device to come with strong security features. That’s hardly surprising. Virtually every study or report about any type of technology in government ranks security as the top concern. It’s such a critical factor that the GSA recently released a Request for Information (RFI) and survey asking the private sector and mobility experts to shed light on the challenges of securing mobile devices and the latest technologies and best practices around mobile security. NOT IMPORTANT
4%
SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT
29%
VERY IMPORTANT
67%
Vendor Reputation Matters
In a recent Panasonic survey of federal users, fully 100 percent of respondents said vendor reputation and support was somewhat or very important in their decision of what rugged or semi-rugged devices to buy. In terms of the devices themselves, that means a long history of quality devices with low failure rates. If the agency has continued to purchase devices from a vendor with whom it is satisfied, that’s generally a good sign the products are working well for the agency. There are other important factors related to vendor reputation and support, including:
•
Deployment services; such as stress-testing, image creation and validation, asset tagging, integrating third-party accessories, disk image management and training
•
24x7x365 support, three-year standard warranty, optional accidental damage coverage and overnight replacements
•
Additional data and device protection, including remote device lock and remote deletion of some or all data, dual factor authentication, mobile VPN and mobile device management (MDM) for remotely monitoring, managing and updating mobile devices.
How important is it that the rugged/semi-rugged device come withstrong security features already included? Besides implementing and enforcing policies, one of the best ways to ensure data and mobile device security is to choose a platform with the most strenuous controls for device and personal identification. One of the most critical is a Trusted Platform module (TPM) security chip, which provides a secure and separate storage location for encryption keys and certificates. Other authentication features should include fingerprint and SmartCard readers. To ensure the highest level of security, look for devices compliant with federal standards such as MIS-STD 810F, ISO 14443 types A and B, and ISO 15693. The threats facing federal users of rugged and semi-rugged mobile devices will evolve, so choosing a vendor proven to evolve with those changes over time is important. Panasonic, for example, introduced the first semi-rugged Toughbook in 1996. This was designed to withstand drops, humidity and dust. It introduced the first fully rugged Toughbook in 1999. As needs changed, it developed the first Toughbook convertible tablet in 2003. To keep up with speed and productivity requirements, it
introduced the first dual-core tablet Toughbook in 2006 and one with dedicated graphics and active cooling in 2010. Panasonic continues its march forward, introducing a fully rugged detachable notebook earlier this year. This Windows 10 Pro-based combination tablet/notebook runs on a 6th generation Intel Core vPro processor. It has a glove-enabled touchscreen, webcam, vehicle mount and desktop port replicator, and hot-swap capabilities to ensure continuous operation. Other options include 4G LTE and GPS. Evolution will continue, not only to meet changing security threats and federal standards, but also to keep pace with changing mission priorities and technology advances. Deloitte, in its “Future of Government 2020” report, predicts mobile technology will become more flexible, with 5G networks improving user experience and leading to lower latency. It also predicts mobile M2M technology will become more ubiquitous, which will help mobile users transmit data on the go. Finally, the Deloitte report sees wearable technology becoming more prevalent. These devices will be powered by smart chips and taking the form of everything from watches to glasses.
For more information, please visit toughbookterritory.com/fedcivilian. Panasonic recommends Windows Pro
