Microsoft releases BizTalk RFID 9 December, 2008 By Vanessa Ho

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"Microsoft has made these investments in the BizTalk Server product family to enable customers to more efficiently connect applications and to provide customers with a clearer, actionable view into their day-to-day operations," said Paul Sanford, senior product manager for Microsoft's Application Platform.

BizTalk RFID Mobile extends BizTalk Server RFID to mobile devices running Windows Mobile and Windows CE. In addition, BizTalk RFID Mobile delivers simple device management and offline processing capabilities, all of which help reduce the total cost of ownership, Sanford said.

"BizTalk RFID Mobile consists of a runtime engine, tools, and components to develop, deploy, and manage RFID solutions on mobile devices," he noted. "In combination with BizTalk Server RFID, the mobility release provides a platform for real-time decision making."

He added that BizTalk RFID Mobile extends management and event processing to mobile devices and allows communication between the server and mobile platforms.

Also, customers and partners can now expedite development of RFID applications in heterogeneous environments with BizTalk Server support for RFID standards, Tag Data Translation (TDT) and Low Level Reader Protocol (LLRP).

Other features of Microsoft's BizTalk RFID Mobile include mobile application development that provide the engine, tools, and framework for developers, ISVs, and SIs to build device agnostic, mobile applications utilizing RFID and sensor data on devices running Windows CE or Windows Mobile. As well, there is out of the box services for rich integration with BizTalk Server 2006 R2 and BizTalk Server 2009 to surface real time data in structured processes.

In addition, BizTalk RFID Mobile also offers enterprise manageability and standards support. According to Sanford, BizTalk RFID Mobile provides the ability to surface RFID hardware inventory to System Center Configuration Monitor (SCCM). Also, BizTalk RFID Mobile allows surface device alerts to System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) via BizTalk Server RFID.

As well, BizTalk RFID Mobile supports a SQL database to store events and information on the mobile device, in much the same way that BizTalk Server RFID does. This ensures that data collected on a device are not lost in the case of network outage and events are reliably delivered to a host running the BizTalk Server RFID platform for further processing and integration with back-end systems

The ability to communicate with BizTalk Server RFID is controlled by the Server Connector service. This service includes the ability to store events locally, forward them to the server. Server Connector also allows a remote manager to discover and manage a Windows Mobile device.

In terms of value to channel partners, Sanford noted an increase in the number and scope of RFID projects across industries and geographies being done by system integrators.

"This is fueled by the availability of a platform that makes it easier to connect RFID devices, an expanding set of applications that run on the platform and strong ROI for customers that have invested in RFID," he added. "The maturing of the RFID market means a much bigger opportunity for our channel partners."

In addition to releasing BizTalk RFID Mobile and the BizTalk RFID Standards Pack, Microsoft also announced the first public beta of BizTalk Server 2009.

Sanford said that BizTalk Server 2009 supports the latest Microsoft platform technologies, including Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 SP1, SQL Server 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.

"These platform updates enable greater scalability and reliability, and many advances in the latest developer tools," he added.

This BizTalk Server release will also deliver additional customer-requested capabilities around enterprise connectivity, including new web service registry capabilities with support for UDDI (Universal Description Discovery and Integration) version 3.0; enhanced service enablement of applications (through new and enhanced adapters for LOB applications, databases, and legacy/host systems); enhanced service enablement of "edge" devices through BizTalk RFID Mobile; enhanced interoperability and connectivity support for industry protocols like SWIFT and EDI; and SOA patterns and best practices guidance to assist with customer implementations.

BizTalk RFID Mobile is available now at no cost to all BizTalk Server customers with Microsoft Software Assurance as well as new BizTalk Server customers who purchase an edition of BizTalk with Software Assurance. The BizTalk Server 2009 public beta is available for download and community feedback today.