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IT Asset Tracking Benchmark Shows Breakthrough
RFID Innovations Are Optimal For IT Asset Tracking Technology
Other Topics:
RFID
Distribution
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ODIN Technologies
September 16, 2008
ODIN technologies, the leader in RFID solutions, automation
software, and research released the industry's first scientific
evaluation of passive RFID technology focused on IT asset tracking.
The IT Asset Tracking Benchmark reveals passive RFID technology,
including components only just available in the last few weeks,
shows breakthrough performance on IT devices like servers, laptops,
blades, and other high-value IT assets. The vendor-neutral study
shows unequivocally that passive RFID is ready to meet IT asset
inventory needs with superior operational efficiency. Through RFID,
companies are able to better track and secure sensitive and costly
IT hardware.
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"For years, companies
employed labor-intensive and cumbersome barcodes or expensive active
RFID solutions to track IT assets. That paradigm is about to change.
The IT Asset Tracking Benchmark proves there's a better way. A way
that saves time, improves accuracy, and is cost effective: passive
RFID," stated Patrick J. Sweeney II, founder of ODIN technologies.
"The sensitivity and performance of RFID equipment doubles every
year -- we call it 'ODIN's law'. Finally, within the last six months
the technology has emerged to make RFID the best option for tracking
IT assets. It's been a perfect storm of advances in passive
technology, such as chip innovations, metal mount tag formats, and
more sensitive reader circuitry. This Benchmark will have the
highest impact of any we have done over the past six years because
it shows the most value to a broad range of end-users."
The ODIN study demonstrates a variety of spectacular results such as
inventorying a rack of 40 servers in 12 seconds or identifying all
IT equipment within a typical cubicle five times faster than manual
methods with 100% accurate data entry. The Benchmark shows that RFID
is best suited for IT asset tracking, however it is important that
end-users understand the many nuances ODIN discovered which are
critical for guaranteeing successful implementation the first time.
The IT Asset Tracking Benchmark is the 12th installment of ODIN's
RFID Benchmark Series which independently evaluates RFID equipment
performance based on physics. The benchmark is designed to answer
common end user questions:
* How to implement RFID successfully
* Which tagging solutions work and which lead to failure
* How the technology is used to solve problems
* How to build a business case
Tests Included
IT asset managers are tracking equipment to satisfy Sarbanes Oxley
regulations, ensure data security, improve efficiency, support
accuracy, and improve the maintenance process. Through scientific
tests comparing tag performance and analyzing common uses of IT
asset tracking, the benchmark equips IT asset managers to make the
best decisions for their respective businesses.
The five scientific tag tests include:
* Sensitivity -- Will tags still respond if reader power is
decreased?
* Orientation sensitivity -- Which tags require a handheld reader to
be at a particular angle?
* Distance -- What is the optimal range to read tags with a handheld
reader?
* Material dependency -- Which tags work on both metal and plastic
equipment cases?
* Blade server inventory -- Which tags perform best when placed on
blade servers?
The five use case tests include:
* Rack inventory -- How does distance, power settings, or reader
equipment affect inventory of a rack full of servers?
* RAM inventory -- Can individual sticks of RAM be inventoried with
RFID technology?
* Cubical inventory -- Can a handheld reader inventory a variety of
IT assets spread throughout a cubical?
* Cubical speed comparison -- How does RFID compare with manual
inventory?
* Control point inventory -- How easily can a stack of IT assets be
read passing through a doorway?
Vendor Products Tested
ODIN engineers selected seven metal mount tags from four vendors
based on a number of factors including physical dimensions,
performance and commercial availability. Tag size and form factor is
an important consideration because many tags are too large or do not
have the appropriate dimensions to fit on the front of a narrow
blade server or other IT equipment. Multiple readers were also used
during testing. A clear lesson is that no one tag or reader is
appropriate for all use environments and end-users should look to
their suppliers of IT equipment to provide pre-tagged hardware.
ODIN technologies established itself as the leading RFID integrator
with more than 200 global projects completed, by leveraging labs in
the United States and Europe to learn more than anyone about RFID
equipment performance for end user applications. By scientifically
testing each new RFID technology and product offering, ODIN brings a
level of expertise to end users unmatched in the RFID industry. The
ODIN engineers learn and experiment in the lab, so customer
recommendations and deployments are based on hard earned lessons.
Additionally, through the RFID Benchmark Series we hope to make RFID
buyers better consumers of vendor information and increase the
likelihood of successful implementations.
Accessing the Benchmark The IT Asset Tracking Benchmark is available
for download now at the ODIN technologies Store. The cost is $1,500
for an enterprise wide business license. Educational institutions
can contact ODIN for a free copy of the report.
About ODIN technologies
ODIN technologies is the leader in the physics of RFID solutions for
healthcare, aerospace, financial services, oil & gas and government
agencies. Global corporations on five continents leverage ODIN
technologies' expert engineers and patented RFID deployment
automation and monitoring tools to achieve accuracy, speed and
visibility for their RFID deployments. In addition to turn-key
solutions, ODIN technologies publishes the RFID Benchmark Series,
the industry's first and most referenced head to head performance
analysis of RFID equipment. ODIN's RFID optimization software
EasyRFID has been successfully used at dozens of companies across
more than 150 sites worldwide to ensure accurate and scalable RFID
implementations. ODIN serves clients from offices in Dulles,
Virginia, USA, Tokyo, Japan, Dublin, Ireland and Budapest, Hungary.
www.ODINtechnologies.com. |
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