Why Mobile Rugged Devices Need Centralized Monitoring

Centralized monitoring of organizational IT has been considered best practice for a long time. With cloud transformation moving into the field and the frontline, the rugged mobile devices frontline personnel carry are now (or at least they’re designed to be) connected to the IT infrastructure at all times. There are many benefits to monitoring device health.

Fewer Technical Problems and Failures

One of the key reasons why organizations use rugged mobile tech is the reduced repair costs and productivity losses compared to standard business devices. Remote device health monitoring enhances this benefit by facilitating proactive maintenance to address issues before they start sapping workers’ productivity.

Improved Security

Another reason rugged devices are used is their enhanced security measures. Data privacy is increasingly a matter of mandate. Cyberattacks cost the global economy trillions of dollars each year. Shutdowns and ransomware incidents, the latter of which are now happening four times per minute. These incidents cost an estimated USD20 billion worldwide in 2021. In addition, cyberattacks are increasingly targeting healthcare, infrastructure, the public sector, and other industries that use rugged computers.

Monitoring these devices bolsters security by boosting IT administrators’ real-time situational awareness. Admins can see what devices are missing the latest security patches. Moreover, they can spot anomalies that might indicate suspicious activity.

Saved Time and Effort for IT

Digital transformation means more devices for IT personnel to deploy, maintain, and repair, with many organizations struggling to keep up. On the surface, centralized device monitoring might sound like more work for people. With their reactive workload reduced, in-house IT resources can be more proactive, moving the organization forward instead of just laboring to maintain a status quo.

The Need Is Growing

Of course, as IT monitoring is concerned, the abovementioned information is table stakes. What isn’t as well known is how the stakes have been raised in the wake of the pandemic. Remote and/or hybrid work arrangements have become the norm, creating a much greater need for centralized device monitoring. Here are three primary reasons.

• More Threat Exposure. Remote and hybrid work eliminates the need for employees to report to their central office at the end of each workday. This means workers expose their rugged devices to more security risks regarding who might get their hands on them and what types of network infrastructure they send and receive sensitive information. Both create a much greater need for centralized monitoring of these devices and what they are doing.
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• Greater Failure Costs. In part due to pandemic measures and part due to a wave of retirements in many sectors that use rugged computers, frontline tasks once done by teams or pairs are increasingly being done by individuals. Remote guidance, where a frontline worker receives instructions or collaborates with colleagues elsewhere, is often used.
  
  This approach makes it vital that workers’ rugged device doesn’t fail. And what’s more, frontline personnel are becoming much more generally dependent on their rugged devices for various other reasons. There is greater use of contextual field training via video and augmented reality. There is a greater expectation of digital-first options when dealing with customers and the public. If workers’ rugged tablet PC fails, digital-native employees may struggle to get through the workday.
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• More Repair Difficulties. Failures are also becoming harder to address. If an employee doesn’t report to the office every day, the IT department might not get their hands on a failed device for quite some time, especially if IT personnel are working hybrid.
  
  With the pain of rugged device problems, failures, and downtime ever-growing, so is the need for tools that can minimize them. Getac has developed a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution for monitoring the health of its Windows devices in the field, and now it’s better than ever with the Getac Device Monitoring System (GDMS).

Getac Device Monitoring System: Reduce Your Downtime

The GDMS is a cloud-based solution that enables up-to-date monitoring of all Getac rugged Windows devices. It is a centrally-hosted Microsoft Azure^TM SaaS that minimizes the workload involved to keep Getac devices and employees operating at peak efficiency. The software works by facilitating proactive device maintenance, minimizing your headaches, and ultimately reducing downtime.

Key Features

Monitoring

GDMS enables monitoring and cloud-based recording of hardware and software vital signs for Getac devices. This includes battery performance, storage capacity, network activity, device location, firmware versions, installed applications, etc. These features give users a clear picture of what’s happening with the device.

Alerting

IT admins can set and customize alarms for various areas where problems can arise. These issues can include battery performance, data storage consumption, SIM-based data consumption, and update availability. As a result, IT personnel can plan out and address the most urgent issues without disrupting frontline productivity.

Reporting

Users can do custom reports automatically or on-demand in various desired granularity levels, indicated with “red flag” values. Users need not be IT admin to access these reports or make use of them. Decisions on when to purchase more devices, more batteries, or more mobile data can be made before the frontline is even aware of the problem.

Configurable Account Management

IT administrators can manage sub-accounts for different groups with different permissions. This enables centralized, hierarchical management and authorization, enabling various business groups to access the information they need without security risks.

OTA Software Updates

IT admins can do firmware updates for any Getac software over the air (OTA), automatically if desired. Each Getac device on an organization’s network is up-to-date, on a schedule that doesn’t interrupt anyone’s work. This feature saves time for IT personnel and alleviates security issues often exploited by bad actors.

GDMS 1.2: New Features For Remote Work Arrangements

The latest version of the Getac Device Monitoring System (GDMS 1.2) is now available. It brings new features that help organizations stay ahead of new remote and hybrid work realities. Here are some features:

Easy App Dispatch

IT admins can now send out entire applications OTA and install them remotely to Getac devices. IT personnel can update and install devices at any time, for any batch, over any wireless broadband medium (Wi-Fi/LTE) desired. They can also run updates silently (unannounced to the user) and resume if interrupted (i.e., download failsafe). This saves time for the IT personnel, as well as network data consumption.

Cellular Visibility

Workers and organizations using SIM cards (i.e., 4G-LTE/5G) in their Getac devices now have access to various data and reporting. This includes network and hardware information (ICCID, IMEI, signal strength, APN, etc.) and data consumption, with custom alerts and thresholds available. Coverage gaps can be made visible. Users can identify trends. Admins can identify data limits and excesses for each billing cycle. Decision-makers can understand when to upgrade their monthly data or consider changing carriers.

The Getac Device Monitoring System is now available for a free trial. To learn more about GDMS, click here.