The environment in which your field workers will use their tablets is a critical consideration when deciding whether to ruggedize your mobile devices or not. We’re often asked if ruggedization is important or necessary for tablets used in industrial applications or severe environments. Ruggedization is important in harsh environments, or in scenarios in which the device is more likely to be dropped, or exposed to extreme temperatures and/or water. But ruggedization is expensive as well.

Many times, firms that initially request ruggedization eventually realize that it’s cheaper to put a rugged protective case on a standard tablet and risk the occasional replacement than spend the money to buy ruggedized tablets. It’s likely that an employee can damage two or three standard tablets for the cost of a ruggedized one.

How do you determine whether your business needs a rugged tablet? In our years of providing high-performance mobile devices to businesses, we’ve boiled down the criteria for ruggedization:

1. Operating Temperature
2. Storage Temperature
3. Drop Shock
4. Sealing