Business RFID Strategy

Toronto, ON, August, 2006 - An RFID strategy provides an outline to use the technology aligned with an enterprise's strategic visions and goals. A business that strives to be a model of efficiency could use RFID to streamline the operations is a typical example. The RFID strategy is applicable whether big or small business because RFID is going to be found anywhere in the near future.

An uniform strategy is not going to work generally that means the businesses must create their own unique RFID strategy. In addition, any business has to determine how RFID can create value that is aligned with its strategic directions, meeting customer RFID mandates are within the tolerable cost and risk ranges.

Do not mistake the creation of an RFID strategy for a needless corporate process that you can short-circuit to delve right into the excitement of implementation. Such a short-circuited implementation, although perhaps successful in the eyes of the implementers, might come to be viewed as a failure or useless by other parts of the business. Post-implementation use of the technology might be questioned, leading to frustration and demoralization of the technology supporters. You can avoid these types of situation by ensuring the comprehensive RFID strategy.

The fundamental reasons for establishing an RFID strategy include determining the various impacts of RFID technology, ensuring basic understanding and buy-in from senior management, deployment strategies, and other policies can drive and guaranteeing cross-functional support.

RFID is a tool that business must apply thoughtfully to realize its benefits. Otherwise, the use of the technology might turn out to be a deficit spending. For example, operational efficiencies might go down, cost might rise, resulting in lost revenue and missed opportunities. Therefore, businesses gain by not using RFID technology before determine how best to use it and how that use will impact their processes and personnel. When decision makers do decide to deploy RFID, a comprehensive strategy enables them to validate its use via justification analysis and pilot implementation results. Thus, enterprises can focus on areas that align properly with their line of business and that promise the maximum return on investment while significantly eliminating misdirected efforts.

An RFID strategy can show the potential benefits of using the technology at a level that can be viewed, analyzed, and understood by senior decision makers. In general, each decision maker has his own special interests and priorities. The viability of a plan in the long run depends on how these people perceive the plan and understand its benefits for them in their individual endeavors. Therefore, an RFID strategy should cater to a broader set of interests rather than seek to satisfy the minor needs. The best way to achieve this goal is to create a strategy that aligns with the core competencies and strategic direction of the business instead of focusing on isolated areas of benefit. Such an integrated plan, when validated and supported at the highest level of decision making that can provide a path of realization that is less cluttered with internal politics, funding nightmares, and deployment-decision delays. The implementation of a successful RFID system being as nontrivial as it gets, having these elements under control will enable control will enable the adopters to focus on solution delivery, which is by no means a small achievement in a business environment. In addition, an RFID strategy ensures that if the technology meets the benefit expectations, it will be assimilated into the other parts of business in the long run.

An RFID strategy can drive the next level of activities, such as estimating the technology benefits, estimating the cost of implementation and creating a deployment strategy. The outcome of some of these activities can provide further evidence to validate the strategy objectively. Indeed, the strategy needs to be validated periodically from the results of the adoption efforts. Such validation can help the proposer support his credibility and can strengthen the case for use of RFID in the business.

For a business, the RFID strategy provides an enterprise-level plan that aligns with overall business goals and strategies. When formulated at this level, a RFID strategy offers benefits to the widest range of interested parties and facilitates buy-in from senior management. It is strongly recommended that you have a RFID strategy in place before attempting any effort to deploy the technology. You can use an RFID strategy to drive action plans for an enterprise RFID policy, implementation, and technology rollout. To learn more, please visit www.gaorfid.com

About GAO RFID Inc GAO RFID Inc., a member of GAO Group, was spun out from GAO Tek (formerly GAO Engineering) in July, 2006 as a result of its fast growing RFID business and its further heavy investment in this exciting market. GAO RFID has established itself as one of world??s most influential suppliers of RFID products, particularly RFID tags, labels, and readers. GAO emphasizes on product quality. Read More...

Contact GAO RFID Inc. (416)-292-0038 marketing@gaorfid.com

Contact Name: Ronnie Sant

Title: Marketing Coordinator

Address: 601 Milner Avenue, 2nd Floor. Toronto, Ontario. M1B 2K4 Canada

Corporate Phone: 1-416-292-0038 Corporate Fax: 1-416-292-2364

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The Relationship Between RFID Technology and ID Cards

The relationship between RFID technology and ID cards is close and personal. While both types of identification work extremely well individually, their efficacy together is amazing. For example, while it is conceivable that even the best ID cards can be forged, or lost and used by unscrupulous individuals, a card using RFID technology offers numerous protections.

If a card is lost, but has an RID tag, it can easily be tracked. While this may not lead to the apprehension of the individual who originally took it, it could lead to the card itself, and any damages could then be reversed.

Another, simpler way that RFID technology helps in the use of ID cards is via readers, the strongest of which can scan information up to thirty meters or more away. This displaces the tedium of a physical reader and allows people in the area to use the system more effectively.

This is especially important in work environments and places like schools with a high volume of people. If people simply have to flash their card at a reader, this speeds up traffic a great deal. Besides work and school environments, RFID technology and ID cards work in many other ways as well.

A scenario that this combination would prove extremely capable at aiding would be traffic crossing tolls on bridges. An ID card could have an RFID tag that would allow for a prepaid toll card. The driver would then flash the card at the reader as they drove by; they would only have to slow down, not stop, and wouldn't have to fumble for change or money.

In fact, RFID tags are used in this way already, although without the ID card, in the Bay Area as an optional payment method for traffic crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Called the 'FasTrak' the tag is mounted in the window and operates on a prepaid system so all the car has to do is slow down to be read and then continue on its way.

The areas in which ID cards and RFID technology can be combined and used are many, and their increasing use together portends greater levels of security for those in work, school and other environments.

DiscountID.com is the worldwide low-price leader in photo ID card printers and security products. For more information, visit Discountid.com.

Marcela De Vivo writes for the Discountid.com

RFID: NAVI (Navigation Aid for the Visually Impaired)

Thanks to an engineering professor and a group of students at the University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, RFID may play a significant role in increasing independence for people who are visually impaired or blind.

Jack Mottley, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, supervised a student research project to develop NAVI (Navigation Aid for the Visually Impaired). The team successfully designed an RFID prototype that makes it easier for blind and visually impaired people to navigate the corridors and tunnels of the U of R buildings and campus.

Most commercial applications of RFID utilize a fixed reader and mobile, item-level tags or transponders. Mottley's team has reversed positions for their system.

NAVI consists of multiple fixed-position RFID transponders (tags) located throughout the testing hallway, and a hand-held RFID reader (transceiver), which emits low-frequency radio signals. When a reader passes near a transponder, the transponder detects the radio signal and sends back a unique, pre-defined electronic code. Each code activates a different site-specific audio recording, used to orient the NAVI user.

For example, as a NAVI user proceeds through a campus building, periodically passing transponders along the way, they will hear recordings that say, "Elevator is located 20 feet straight ahead", or "Proceed straight ahead ten feet, turn right, stairway directly ahead."

The NAVI system gives blind and visually impaired people the freedom to navigate the campus-- including unfamiliar buildings-- unescorted. That's quite an impact on quality of life!

RFID technology holds considerably more promise than current applications represent. Improvements in read distance and cost will be key to accelerating the adoption of NAVI-type systems on other campuses, museums, hospitals, and other public buildings.

NAVI is an impressive example of the power of RFID to benefit our lives. It is free from the privacy concerns related to commercial applications of RFID. It does not raise any issues of government surveillance, HMO interference or consumer monitoring. It is simply a good thing. Hopefully, it is the first of many.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer/Sales Trainer

Sally Bacchetta is an award-winning freelance writer and sales trainer. She has published articles on a variety of topics, including RFID, selling skills, motivation, and pharmaceutical sales.

You can contact her at sb14580@yahoo.com and read her latest articles on her website.