Prior to using Panasonic products, CMG used handheld devices that ran mobile OS to support its airport staff, "bubble forms" and consumer-grade laptops to collect in-store data - all of which took several weeks to process and review. For CMG, the latency between data collection and actionable use was no longer acceptable. To be a better partner to its customers, CMG needed to reduce latency from weeks to hours.

CMG worked with Trac2Mobile, a strategic mobility solutions provider with a focus on mobile workforces, along with other partners to help define and deploy the new solution. The team evaluated numerous devices, laptops, handhelds and tablets. None of them offered the right combination of flexibility, durability, mobility, connectivity and the ability to synchronize data in near real time until Trac2Mobile introduced the fully-rugged utra-mobile PC, Panasonic Toughbook U1 and the business-rugged Toughbook T8 convertible tablet computer.

After selecting the Toughbook devices, Trac2Mobile recommended Qualcomm's embedded wireless broadband Gobi™ technology - enabling CMG to have a single modem that would work with all major carriers. The solution would virtually eliminate many of the past problems CMG faced and allow the company to address potential issues as it connected the mobile workforce. Gobi gave CMG a single stock-keeping unit for its mobile computers, regardless of the wireless carrier being used, simplifying CMG's workload and reducing its support costs.

Once the solutions were in place, CMG's sales and marketing teams had a better view of what was happening in the field-providing a tremendous advantage in managing the mobile workforce. The company also drove major business decisions from a more comprehensive and actionable set of data, allowing the team to increase revenues.

For CMG's customers, access to near-real-time data at the in-store level helped to maximize financial investments, making CMG a more valuable business partner. In the publishing market, access to this type of business intelligence is critical to success.

The reliability of the Toughbook solutions has been one of the key benefits of the successful deployment. CMG no longer keeps a replacement inventory. Instead, the company only has one Toughbook device per 100 field users in reserve and no spare mobile broadband cards. Compared to the 15-20 laptops and broadband cards it previously had to keep on the shelf, this is a significant reduction that eases IT management needs.

In the first year of deployment, the field workforce did not experience a single hardware failure. Now, CMG is well positioned to help its customers stay competitive, making the company a valuable business partner in a very competitive market.

Learn more about Toughbook computers.