Windows 8 – The right choice for field auditor applications

The new Windows 8 platform is an excellent choice for field auditor based applications. Field auditors, in the field I am most familiar with which is Environmental Compliance, have a need for a “more than smart phone” interface need for them to perform their day to day duties on the field. It is also not feasible for them to carry a laptop along with them all the time. They are tasked with tracking standards like Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFRs, 29 CFRs, etc) set by the EPA and other governing agencies at various facilities on any given day. Their tasks include walking up hills, going into water bodies, walking through dense vegetation to take pictures, videos, collect samples and so on. A handy device like the new Windows Surface on Windows RT is a great solution to the problem. Windows also gives them a good connected platform to the rest of the firm’s auditors and managers keeping the machine on the network’s Active Directory with no additional software installs. This is highly applicable in the Government space as well with the right CONs given that Windows 8 devices can handle CAC authentication too. This creates a secure and collaborative environment for the entire audit team along with the managers in the central office location. The modern UI based application paradigm in WinRT is a very intuitive no nonsense interface into what the auditors want. I am watching this place very closely to see what else pops up in the new Windows 8 Marketplace with this use case.

Folks who are interested in taking parts of their auditors suite to create based handheld applications must read more about Windows 8, the security features Windows 8 has as against Apple’s iPad, Modern UI and Windows marketplace and on the best practices around Windows 8 application development. Here are some useful links to follow –

• Windows8.ilink-systems.com
• windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/meet
• blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/
• msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/jj679957