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Rugged computers are worth the additional cost.

Article Excerpt
Personal computers (PCs) are becoming ubiquitous, not only in office environments, but also on the manufacturing floor, on warehouse forklifts, in public safety vehicles, and in practically every other workplace.

As computers have evolved into smaller, more powerful devices with easy-to-use graphical user interfaces and wireless networking, companies have been able to cost-effectively put technology within the reach of more employees, connecting them to management information and data collection systems. These distributed computing systems are streamlining operations and increasing productivity.

The important element enabling the growth of rugged industrial computing is the standardization of computer hardware. Application software can run on hardware from different manufacturers and even on different operating systems. Companies, therefore, have many options when purchasing computers for warehousing and vehicular uses.

In fact, some business and logistical applications will run on relatively inexpensive laptop PCs designed for home and office use. However, these computers may not stand up well in industrial and public safety environments. Another class of computers, called "rugged computers" is designed specifically to meet the requirements of these harsh environments. A number of factors should be considered when a company chooses whether a rugged computer is required for a particular environment and application. As with any piece of equipment that...

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