The Scenario:
Acme Co. is has a production facility, and a warehouse that they store their product until it is ordered and shipped out. In the warehouse, the forklift operators use Android tablets to scan the products. They were using a web-based application to transfer the data.
The system administrator, Bob, gets frustrated for several reasons. The setup for each scanning device is a lengthy, constant chore. The screen on the web-based application looks great, but the functionality is subpar. The data transfer lags and is slow, and forklift operators are constantly in the system administrator’s office with issues. Bob dreads when the scanning device needs an upgrade, it takes him days to upgrade all 200 devices. Bob spends his days helping the operators in his office entering passwords and fixing settings, or resetting devices when they get hosed up. Even though the web-based application claims that it is secure, Bob was spending countless hours with the complex administration required. And to top it off, Acme just experienced a data breach!
The Inquiry Process:
Bob met with Georgia SoftWorks and inquired about the GSW ConnectBot (an SSH/Telnet Client for Android) and their Licensing and Deployment Server (LADS). Bob learned a lot about how Telnet works. Telnet is the natural connectivity tool for RF devices, bar code scanners, and other data collection devices. Why? Because the type of data transferred between a telnet client and server is simple text and small graphics, making the protocol nimble, lightweight, fast and reliable. There is no need for third-party apps, which eliminates the opportunity for the data to get hosed up during transfer. In a sense, Telnet and SSH speak the same language as barcode scanners, so nothing will get lost in translation.
Bob was impressed with the ease of set up on his testing device. He signed up for a free 30-day trial.
The Trial Process:
Bob was not looking forward to Day 1. He remembered how laborious it was to set up all 200 of the devices with their old web-based application. He said aside a few days to accomplish this task. He got his first device. He set up the configurations and passwords. He was then able to upload the settings and configurations to the Licensing and Deployment Server (LADS). From the LADS, he then downloaded the configurations to all 199 other devices. He was totally finished setting up all 200 of the devices in under an hour. Bob was shocked how quick and easy it was. The Licensing and Deployment Server made it a breeze!
His first feature he immediately appreciated was the distinct and separate admin/user modes. He didn’t have a single warehouse employee that day in his office trying to type in passwords or confused about settings, because they were in user mode. They were able to focus on their important tasks without having to worry about settings, configurations and passwords.
The second Bob was impressed by was how much faster the warehouse operators were able to complete their work. For example, they were able to rapidly (2 taps) upload screenshots to the server. When running multiple connections, to navigate from one session to another, all they have to do is swipe, no complicated menu navigation. The Stay Connected feature was great – in their warehouse, the Wi-Fi is sometimes spotty. In the event that the internet would drop, the GSW ConnectBot continuously retries to connect to the host until the internet is restored, placing the user back in the same place that they were before the internet dropped. The color-coded host configurations and sort order allowed them to color code their connections to stay organized and quickly identify.
The Result:
Bob was amazed at how much the GSW ConnectBot changed their workflow. He only waited about 6 of the 30 free trial days before signing up for the full time GSW ConnectBot version. Bob’s time was significantly freed up – his days were no longer spent laboriously setting up configurations or sorting out the forklift operators issues with their software constantly hosing up or glitching. The warehouse workers were much happier that they weren’t always fighting against the web-based application. Workflow was optimized and speed was increased. The data exchange was fast, reliable, with many features that are needed in their industrial type of warehouse environment. For the first time in years, the work atmosphere brightened. People weren’t constantly frustrated. And, with the GSW SSH, they rest assured knowing they have the strongest authentication available on the commercial market, without all the long hours of system administration work.
Bob’s only regret is not switching to the GSW ConnectBot (SSH/Telnet Client for Android) sooner.
