Tablets on the Jobsite

Contractors, superintendents, project managers and other employees often use tablet computers at jobsites or on the road. Tablets not only offer portability, but they also provide some advantages over laptops, such as touch screens that allow users to zoom in and out when viewing shop drawings, specifications or other construction documents.

Tablets can be used to track time and materials; connect to the company estimating, bidding and project management systems; and view and share AutoCAD drawings, among other tasks. They can also be used to hold videoconferences and share real-time jobsite information with others.

But, before you buy tablets for your employees, or allow them to use their own, make sure the devices meet your needs. Here are three questions to ask:

1. Should we use consumer tablets or industry-specific devices? Consumer tablets, such as the Apple iPad® and the Samsung Galaxy Tab®, are fairly inexpensive. But specialized tablets offer certain advantages, such as tougher construction to withstand drops and extreme weather conditions, antiglare screens that can be viewed in bright sunlight, and longer battery life. Some even have built-in barcode, fingerprint or radio frequency identification (RFID) readers.

2. Will tablets work with our existing systems?
Tablets are ideal for cloud-based systems that run software via a Web browser. Systems that aren't designed for the cloud, even if they're hosted in the cloud, may have specific hardware or software requirements that are incompatible with tablets or other mobile devices.

3. Should we allow employees to use their personal tablets?
It easy to enable employees to connect to your company intranet or other resources on their own tablets or smartphones. If you go this route, however, develop a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy to address acceptable use and security concerns.

The policy should:

• Define how and where devices may or may not be used on company time

• Consider acceptable-use policies as they relate to personal tablets

• Provide a list of approved devices and operating systems

• Require employees to password-protect their devices and implement other security measures

• Give the company the right to use mobile device management software to monitor usage and remotely lock, disable or erase a device that lost or stolen

• Specify whether and how the company will reimburse employees for usage fees

• Set forth the parties' relative liability for any loss of data

With proper planning, tablets can be powerful tools for enhancing productivity, efficiency and customer satisfaction.