Right now, we’re all getting a lesson on how important it is to wash our hands, avoid touching our face, and maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s also a critical time to keep our mobile devices disinfected and cleaned, especially in enterprise businesses that are still providing essential goods and services.

Here are some important tips and reminders about disinfecting and cleaning Zebra enterprise mobile technologies at this crucial time.

1. There’s a right and wrong way to clean your mobile devices.

Disinfecting mobile computers, tablets, printers, scanners, and other devices is critical to infection control in workplaces and public spaces. It’s especially vital for protecting healthcare providers who are working on the front lines against the COVID-19 virus.  A device cleaning policy should be in place and enforced in every business; ensuring employees are properly disinfecting devices on a regular basis.

NOTE: Guidance must be specific to each device since different devices are manufactured with different components and materials.

• If you’re using healthcare-grade Zebra devices, Zebra Technologies has issued disinfecting guidelines for Zebra healthcare-grade scanners, printers, and mobile computers. Click the links to access those guidelines.

• For non-healthcare models of Zebra products, on the Support section of Zebra’s website locate the User Guide for your exact model and navigate to the Cleaning Instructions section. Once you’ve accessed the user guide, search the document for the word “clean,” and that should take you to the appropriate section.

In Zebra’s user guides, you’ll find step-by-step instructions on how to thoroughly disinfect each device’s casing, buttons, screen (if applicable), and more. You can also confirm which cleaning agents are safe to use, including the purity or formulation levels for each ingredient.

Zebra also recently added a tool on their website for instructions on how to disinfect any Zebra model of scanner, printer or mobile computer simply go to the tool on their website to access the instructions.

If anything is unclear or you have questions, contact our team at MSM Solutions, and we’ll be happy to help.

2. Don’t forget to protect your devices from virtual viruses too.

Unfortunately, anytime there’s a crisis, cybercriminals and scammers try to take advantage of the situation. That’s why it’s important to make sure your enterprise mobile devices are protected against virtual viruses and other IT security threats.

Our partners at Zebra have an excellent white paper on this topic, called “Establishing a Robust Mobile Security Policy.” It covers the key risks to mobile devices and explains how you can avoid them. There’s also a good overview of Zebra’s current security platform here.

Make sure you’re following the recommended security guidelines and that your devices have the latest updates and protections to keep them safe.

3. We’re here to help, and available to address your mobile device issues.

If you’re having any problems with your mobile devices, or your current mobile infrastructure isn’t keeping up with your tracking and automation needs, during this crisis or otherwise, our experts at MSM Solutions are here to help.  Our job is to recommend ways to optimize and keep your mobile workflows running to ensure responsiveness and efficiency; particularly during a time of great strain on our economy, society, and healthcare system.