4 ways to Minimize IT Support Costs for Field Computers

Portable devices like laptops, notebooks, and rugged computers are critical resources for organizations with on on-field operations. These purpose-built devices play a key role in ensuring that their field employees always maintain their productivity and efficiency while withstanding the heavy usage requirements and the environmental conditions of work location. For technicians or field engineers working in remote areas, these on-field devices are the only tools to have visibility into the work order data and perform critical tasks in collaboration with the in-house teams in real time.

While considering the implementation of such on-field systems, enterprises tend to take into account only the costs related to system acquisition, deployment, and employee training. However, expenses related to operations, system maintenance, and technical support have an equal impact on the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of field computing devices. On the other hand, events of device malfunction and unexpected outages significantly add to the support cost, leaving organizations grappling with their already tight IT budgets.

Organizations relying on on-field computing devices need to deal with system issues proactively and implement best IT practices that can help them to reduce downtime and the associated maintenance costs. Here are 4 ways through which enterprises can minimize the support costs and increase the availability of their on-field computers:

1. Performing Regular System Maintenance

On-field computing systems are accessed by multiple workers across different shifts, which makes these machines vulnerable to unwanted changes and threats. Issues like altered system settings and unauthorized software downloads can bring down the performance of these systems, the consequence of which can be unplanned downtime and increased maintenance cost per system.

It is, therefore, more cost-effective for the field IT team to prevent system issues from happening rather than fixing them. Monitoring the health of these on-field devices on a regular basis can help the IT professionals identify and fix any configurational gaps or changes in software and hardware settings that could potentially lead to a system crash. Such constant system analysis can also aid the IT administrators in ensuring that the patches are applied on time and the Operating System (OS) and other critical apps are up-to-date. With the system maintenance activities being performed regularly, organizations can easily cut down on IT support cost while offering employees with on-field devices that are fully-functional and reliable.

2. Outsourcing On-site IT Support Needs

When a mobile computing system breaks down on the field, the in-house IT team need to travel to the site, run diagnostics, and perform necessary repairs in order to resume field operations. In worst scenarios, they need to bring the malfunctioning systems back to headquarters and engage in time-consuming system recovery methods such as reimaging or rebuilding the machines. This not only puts additional job burden on the in-house IT support team but also shoots up the expenditure margin related to system maintenance and repair.

Outsourcing such on-site IT support requirements can offer organizations with a more cost-effective way of dealing with system issues on the field. Most of the professional tech-support firms offer 24/7 service, which can provide organizations with alternatives during odd hours or in case of an emergency. Besides, organizations can also choose to outsource specific IT functions or activities, with the in-house team looking over the whole process. This can result in better and more effective management of on-field systems and help organizations keep the IT support cost to a minimal.

3. Deploying Restorative Remediation Measures

On-field operations have to be performed quickly and within very stringent deadlines. As a result, organizations using on-field endpoints need to have effective system restoration mechanism in place that can provide faster turnaround time than conventional programs in the event of a sudden system outage. System restore solutions based on Reboot to Restore technology can help users revert malfunctioning systems to their optimal functionality on reboot, thus helping organizations avoid delay in field operations.

Reboot to Restore software allow IT professionals to set up and maintain the desired system configuration which is marked as the baseline state. When a system reboot is initiated, such solutions restore the admin-defined baseline of the on-field device while deleting all user-generated data. Thus, the on-field machines can always be kept in a clean and reliable state with minimal efforts. By reverting the systems back to their original state on reboot, solutions with ‘reboot to restore’ capability can play a key role in increasing employee productivity and reducing the IT support cost to a great degree.

4. Educating The Field Workers

Educating field staff on device maintenance and training them to resolve common system issues can go a long way in ensuring that the on-field machines are properly accessed and maintained within the allocated IT budget. Organizations can create easy-to-use Knowledge Bases which will help the field employees learn about safe computing practices in diverse and challenging work environments. When provided with the right training, field employees would also be able to identify early signs of system failure and communicate it to the concerned system administrators before those occur and impact the critical field operations. Thus, with informed and smart employees accessing the on-field devices, organizations can successfully prevent major outages and reduce the overall system support cost.

By taking a preventive approach to maintain and manage on-field computers, organizations can effectively reduce the IT support and downtime costs and ensure seamless continuity of critical field operations. Regular system maintenance and employee education can help system administrators lower the TCO and provide employees with reliable on-field devices to work on.