In its drive to reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) for customers, Panasonic has engineered one of the lowest failure rate devices in mobile computing*. Partnering with SOTI adds critical smart device management, further lowering TCO in sectors as varied as healthcare, retail and logistics.

At a time when almost half (49 per cent) of mobile workers feel mobility downtime seriously hinders their ability to work[i], this partnership is more business-critical than ever.

A better angle for business

Panasonic today also announced SOTI’s recent certification of its Toughpad FZ-N1 handheld product. Designed for postal and courier workers, warehouse, retail, manufacturing, field services and emergency services, the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-N1 is leading the company’s charge on the rugged handheld market. With its integrated angled rear barcode reader to protect against repetitive strain and increase productivity, alongside its voice and data capabilities, the device is rapidly becoming the rugged handheld device of choice.

Panasonic’s FZ-N1 includes the integration of SOTI’s MobiControl Stage app within its devices. IT administrators can use MobiControl Stage to define all the key parameters of the device for use in the field, including available applications, preferred communication networks and security settings. MobiControl Stage then generates a barcode for use in configuring all future devices. To replicate the configuration on each new handheld, simply switch on the device, open the local MobiControl Stage programme and scan the barcode. In seconds, MobiControl Stage automatically replicates the configuration on the replacement device.

This functionality has a number of advantages for businesses when deploying new devices or running repair and replacement programmes. For example, the manufacturer or reseller can hold a copy of the barcode configuration and then ship pre-configured devices directly to field workers, drastically reducing downtime.

In addition to the SOTI certification, Panasonic was also awarded SOTI’s “OEM Partner of the Year” award at its recent SOTI Sync conference in Niagara Falls, Canada.  The SOTI partner awards celebrate excellence in driving innovation within the enterprise mobility market, as well as recognising growth in both revenue and customer deployments.  SOTI currently has 150 OEM partners.

Shash Anand, VP Strategic Alliances at SOTI, said: “Organisations often struggle to manage the chaos of connected devices, especially where mobility is critical to the business. With research estimating the global mobile workforce will be made up of 1.87 billion people by 2022, it’s hardly surprising. We’re therefore delighted to be growing our partnership with Panasonic to guarantee the security and efficiency of its rugged device products. As two key players in this market, we’re dedicated to ensuring the global mobile workforce is working as efficiently and effectively as possible.”

 “This certification by the world’s leading Enterprise Mobile Management company and the integration of SOTI’s time-saving configuration capabilities into our ground-breaking Android handheld device further demonstrates Panasonic’s commitment to reinvent the rugged handheld market for European business,” said Sylvaine Smith, Business Development Manager, at Panasonic Business.

“We’ve partnered with SOTI to ensure our rugged devices are secure and reliable for all of our customers. It is vital the devices we supply can be managed remotely to handle the worst-case scenario and that we can minimise costly downtime to ensure everyone from healthcare response teams to delivery drivers are able to perform their critical jobs around the clock. SOTI MobiControl and our evolving partnership with SOTI is key to reaching this goal.”

For more information about Panasonic handheld devices visit: www.toughbook.eu

* Based upon findings from the 2017 IDC whitepaper “Pay now, save later”