Slow down hype induced RFID push – Meta
Slow down hype induced RFID push – Meta
Too many IT organisations are scrambling for budget and guidance to attain working RFID (radio frequency identification) solutions without understanding the technology's actual capabilities and limitations, warns analysts Meta Group.
According to Meta, the rush to create RFID technology systems without taking the time necessary to consider what the market as a whole will need and demand from such technology is being propelled by the likes of retail giant Wal-Mart and certain quarters of the public sector, such as the US Department of Defense, who have issued directives to the effect that companies wanting to work with them must use RFID technology.
Meta believes that while RFID will enable an organisation to improve its sensing capabilities, decision makers should not be enticed by the "low-cost tag" hype, since RFID is not a one-size-fits-all approach with unlimited technical abilities. Even though the technology has proven effective in livestock tracking, toll collection, and premium product manufacturing, Meta encourages organisations to keep initial RFID projects at the case/pallet level, acting as bar-code replacements, before moving to more complicated supply chain implementations. Or to put it more succinctly, don't run before you can walk.
"Many IT organisations do not immediately realize that even smaller RFID projects can significantly affect an entire IT infrastructure and application portfolio, so a readinessassessment must be performed early on," said Gene Alvarez, Vice President with Meta Group's Technology Research Services. "Starting with small projects will assist enterprises in climbing the 'RFID learning curve' and establishing standards that support efficient future product movement."
Meta further encourages IT organisations to create a task force responsible for gaining an understanding of RFID's capabilities and limitations. This group should interweave RFID technology with existing IT infrastructure and application portfolios as part of an overall adaptive organisation strategy.
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