Extensive research by firms such as VDC and Gartner now reveal that the Total Cost of Ownership for mobile devices is a function of four key areas
1. Hardware Acquisition
In addition to the cost of purchasing devices, accessories and peripherals consideration should be made to acquire new devices one their lifecycles have expired. For consumer devices this means a two-year refresh cycle whereas rugged units typically run for four years.
2. Service & Support
Warranties, spares and repair costs all contribute to supporting a mobile device fleet. Different types of warranties and terms will impact costs and repair turn around times.
3. Recurring Costs
Operating system changes seem to be accelerating. This impacts applications and software support to ensure that applications continue to operate correctly. Software licensing for device and back-end systems as well as cellular usage costs can bot be ignored
4. Repair and Downtime Costs
As the productivity contributions of mobile devices grows and with device failure rates as high as 50% (VDC), significant productivity losses can accrue particularly over the span of a year. In many cases organizations can not return to manual/paper-based systems when device fail. An effective, adequately equipped and staffed support organization that can track and manage manufacturer repairs and a pool of spare devices will ensure downtime is minimized and that mobile assets are effectively managed.
To learn more click here.