IBM introduces new RFID data management 15 April, 2007 By Paul Weinberg

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Among the markets targeted for WebSphere RFID Premises Server V6.0 is the retail supply chain, distribution and the pharmaceutical industry.

"It is a nice step forward for the industry. [IBM's new offering] shows an appreciation for different flavors of RFID technology -- not just active and passive, but also other automatic identification technologies such as bar codes etc," stated Michael Liard, research director in RFID at ABI Research.

One key feature is that, courtesy of services oriented architecture, information from the new WebSphere RFID Premises Server can be mixed together with all other collected corporate data from RFID and non-RFID sources, such as ERP systems and billing, to give managers a single view of business trends for the enterprise.

The flexibility and scalability in WebSphere RFID Premises Server augers well for current pilots and limited deployments of the technology as they start expanding within enterprises, Liard stated.

It was the early adopters of RFID technology such as Wal-Mart and the pharmaceutical industry that started pushing the vendors of IT legacy systems to work with them on solutions, and thus get the ball rolling on RFID data management, the ABI analyst recalled.

"It helped IBM, SAP and Oracle start developing what their strategies would be to proactively respond to end user requirements, in the short term and long term."

Another feature of WebSphere RFID Premises Server is that it facilitates the management of both data and RFID reader devices -- the later collect the data across the network.

"Some folks [in the RFID industry] are focused on data management, others are focused on device management, and then you have got others that are focused on both. If you get 500 or 5,000 readers, as these deployment go wider and larger, that device management piece is going to be as critical as that data management," stated Liard.

Courtesy of the Eclipse open standards framework in the new IBM RFID, platform users can gain access to data generated by RFID and other sources through a standard interface.

Many of the major RFID reader devices manufacturers including Motorola, Intermec, Alien Technology, Arcom, Impinj, Reva Systems, Sirit and Tagsys have signed on to have their hardware made compatible with IBM's WebSphere Premises Server.

"As initial RFID deployments begin to evolve into large scale productions, RFID solutions must drive new business value, return on investment and business process flexibility and innovation," stated Martin Wildberger, vice president, sensors and actuators leader at IBM.

The IBM spokesperson explained that the issue of incompatible RFID readers is over with this new product.

"Now let me [as a user] focus on what I want do with that data, how am I going to share the data throughout the enterprise. You have a way of sharing that data to those people you want to give access to."

Wildberger added that WebSphere Premises Server is being sold as a piece of software, as part of another vendor's solution or via the channel in a customized solution.