Digitization in fieldwork was rarely seen pre-pandemic. But that is not the case post-pandemic. Organizations are highly shifting the digitization of their operations, especially for the front-line workers and field technicians. Experienced field workers are declining due to heavy digitization in fieldwork operations. Hence, the young and inexperienced workforce has increased. These workers need tough rugged laptops and ruggedized tablets to work in the field. Using these devices, field technicians and workers carry out work orders, inspections, installation and repair of small to heavy equipment and also operate machinery.
To meet service demands and customer expectations, many organizations have started to integrate technology so that they can transform existing processes. It has been witnessed over the past few years that organizations have shifted their focus on improving the work conditions of frontline workers. Due to the advancements in mobile technology, frontline technicians are becoming more efficient. This has resulted in better communication between management, peers, and subject matter experts, higher customer satisfaction ratings, and faster ROI.
Evolving frontline
With the addition of new connectivity technologies such as Li-fi, 5G, and Internet of Things (IoT) deployments, the landscape of the frontline has changed. The demand for a tech-savvy frontline workforce has been increasing who must be able to interact with the new technologies. These effects are also seen in Oman. Tough Rugged Laptops and Ruggedized Tablets are in high demand among frontline workers of many organizations in Oman. So, organizations have these three major effects on how they are spending on technology.
Increase Reliability
Devices on the fieldwork are often shaken, dropped, and exposed to hazardous elements, so field technicians need more roughed laptops and tablets than traditional commercial computers. These two factors have made frontline workers more reliable on these devices.
Due to increased reliance on edge and cloud computing, these devices must always be on instead of merely present. Second, these devices are brought less to the office, hence resolving its problem has become more challenging. Equipment used in the field must be able to handle more wear and tear. In case of failure, it could be days before the technicians can hand over the devices to the IT department.
Increase Security
Proliferating cyberattacks in the file service industries such as healthcare, law enforcement, oil & gas, and utilities have risen the worries of IT Managers. Keeping the devices and data security has become a concern of IT departments of these industries. Whenever an employee carries the work device home, the security risk increases significantly.
When using the work device over the home Wi-Fi, an employee must use Virtual Private Network (VPN). Wifi-6 router with WPA-3 encryption is also good to have. Many of the rugged devices in Oman have increased security along with ruggedness.
Increase Volume
With each field worker wanting to carry the device home, the sharing capacity of a rugged device with other employees decreases. Each employee demands a single device for use. This means organizations need to buy more units for the same headcount. Moreover, with the unique preferences of each employee, employers are bound to buy mobile devices with different specifications. So the demand for rugged computing solutions has increased in the Sultanate of Oman.
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