Some of the most prominent takeaways of the report include:

• The importance of designing a rugged product from the inside-out, not just adding a rugged exterior.

• How rugged tablet computers are offering greater functionality and heightened performance

• How Hill Air Force Base is interested in rugged tablets for eTools flight line maintenance

Rugged technology is no longer just a feature or option for field workers: it is nothing less than essential.  Ultimately, the solutions discussed in the Snapshot are changing the ways in which the public sector operates. I would encourage officials in all levels of government to read this report and recognize the possibilities for enhancing their mobile workforce.

For example, the “office tools and suites” section of the site includes word processing and spreadsheet applications. The “surveys” section contains applications which offer employees the ability to gather feedback to improve services. The site even contains applications for collaboration, meetings and conferencing, designed to help users conduct meetings and presentations over the Web.

The shift toward Web-based applications for government workers is not limited to the federal government. The New York Times reported earlier this year on the growing trend of police departments to integrate customized social-networking platforms with their traditional crime-fighting tactics.

Government agencies are also attracted to the security benefits of cloud computing and Web-based applications. A recent article from Computerworld illustrated the CIA’s adoption of this approach, while specifying that classified data will be hosted within the agency’s firewalls rather than Apps.gov.

To ensure reliable access to Web services wherever someone’s work takes them, embedded mobile broadband modems are now a must-have feature for professionals’ laptops in both the public and private sector. Embedded modems provide better wireless signals than external cards, and also provide an added layer of reliability by avoiding loss, theft or damage.

It will be interesting to see how quickly the government workforce adapts to these changes, and which Internet applications become the most popular. We’ll be following it closely and continue enhancing our products to meet this growing need.

The Toughbook 30 was also declared “the fastest laptop in the review” and “the most rugged laptop in this roundup.” We’re honored to be recognized with GCN’s Reviewer’s Choice designation, although it probably won’t surprise our customers in the military, law enforcement, fire/EMS and other mission-critical government positions who rely on the Toughbook 30 every day.

The current issue of Government Computer News features an in-depth review of the latest Toughbook® 30 model, by Lab Director John Breeden.  It provides an excellent summary of how the latest upgra

des, such as a brighter screen with anti-glare and anti-reflective coatings, support government users who require a notebook that will operate under any conditions.

The Toughbook 30’s concealment mode is a new feature that can be easily overlooked, but figured prominently in the review due to its significance for the police and military. GCN saw firsthand how easy it is for a user seeking to remain undetected to shut off all external lights while leaving the computer fully running. It’s a great example of how Panasonic engineers its computers to meet the specific needs of end users.

Having rugged Toughbook notebooks en route and at the scene enables the FDNY to respond quicker and with more information than they’ve ever had, including a seamless link to other local and federal agencies during major incidents and disasters.

For years, rugged has been defined, measured and misunderstood in many ways, causing confusion for those trying to understand whether they should purchase products with this distinction.  The GCN report paints a clear picture, explaining the history of rugged, how rugged technologies have grown, how ruggedness is measured, and how users can determine if and how they should deploy rugged technology.

Areas addressed by the report include:

• How rugged technologies are expanding beyond laptops
• Understanding rugged testing
• Why it’s not just the computer that needs to be rugged
• The 12 recommended steps for considering a rugged device
• Rugged products being developed for specific operating environments

The report shows that rugged technologies will be developed to support the many environments government and military personnel find themselves in.  As a result, public sector employees need to understand how rugged technologies can positively impact their jobs.  The GCN Rugged IT Report is a great guide for this, so I’d encourage you to give it a read and discover new methods for boosting job productivity and performance.