In some environments, bringing your own mobile device or laptop to work means sitting in a traditional office building to complete your tasks. However, not everyone works in such tame conditions. Many industries function in rough and tumble environments where a regular laptop or handheld device just won’t survive.

If you’re wondering which industries would benefit the most from durable, sturdy laptops like  Toughbooks, OC Rugged has the answers. Discover the top civilian uses for some of our best military-grade laptops today. Learn about which innovations ensure workers can stay connected, be more productive, and get the job done.

1. Field Researchers

Not all research happens in the lab—many scientists and technicians spend much of their day-to-day out in the field collecting samples and data. Conventional laptops won’t cut it in the remote and unpredictable conditions often faced in these locations. These professionals need weather-proof, durable technology to protect their most important data. Military laptops such as Toughbooks provide the reliability, battery life, and protection from the elements that field researchers and technicians depend upon.

2. Oil & Gas

The oil and gas industries have a number of branches that function in harsh environments. Working offshore or onshore in an oil rig means a lot of dangers and environmental disruptions that could harm technological devices. Any  sturdy laptop they work with must be able to withstand chemicals, machinery, moisture, and even salt from the ocean spray.

But the employees working on oil rigs aren’t the only ones that require military laptops. Service technicians going out to the field or serving customers at home need access to important data, must adjust schedules on the go, and are required to work in rough places with plenty of hazards.

3. Utilities

Many utility workers spend their days taking care of customer needs that revolve around unpredictable outages in dangerous areas. These workers rely on the responsiveness and dependability of their tech to get them through any urgent situations. Since utility workers spend most of their days  outside—working in fields, on top of towers, in standing water, and through extreme weather conditions—their technology needs to be just as durable as the rest of their gear. Most utility companies have already adopted the use of rugged mobile devices, including phones and military-grade laptops, to help their employees complete assignments.

4. Construction

Anybody who has walked by a construction site has seen how heavily protected the workers are. If they need to wear hardhats and heavy-duty boots, you can just imagine the type of protection their sturdy laptops need. A military laptop can survive vibrations from the strongest jackhammer as well as flying dust and debris from any type of installation.

Construction logistics need the power and responsiveness of a rugged laptop to make changes in real time and communicate with everyone involved in the scope of work.

5. Supply Chain

Having a military laptop isn’t just about withstanding harsh conditions like temperature and other hazards. Heavy-duty laptops also need to be responsive enough for lightning-quick supply chain and logistics workers. From sustaining accurate inventories to ensuring appropriate delivery, these devices need to have impressive specs with the highest quality RAM upgrades, broadband options, processor bundles, and more. Many of these laptops even need fingerprint readers, internal GPSs, mounts, and smart card readers to keep up with the demands of the supply chain.

Real Rugged Laptops

Just any sturdy laptop isn’t enough for these jobs—they need daylight  readable displays, extended battery life, customizable specs, and additional drop protection. While Toughbooks are often used in military capacities, all of these other industries also need military laptop functionality.

At  OC Rugged, we refurbish Toughbooks for use in civilian circumstances to help everyone from field researchers to utility companies take care of business. Built to handle extreme temperatures, drops, moisture, and dust, Toughbooks should be your first choice when outfitting a team that needs to handle rough environments. Learn more about how OC Rugged can help when you reach out to our customer service team today.