By Mary Catherine O'Connor

Apr. 5, 2010—Radio frequency identification systems often require middleware—software that resides between RFID interrogators and enterprise software. Middleware serves a number of key functions: It configures and manages your hardware, such as interrogators, printer-encoders and motion sensors, so they operate optimally. And it processes tag data, filtering out duplicate tag reads and aggregating the data that's passed along to back-end applications.

Early RFID middleware resided on a computer server and included basic reporting tools. But technology innovations have brought about changes in both areas.

Illustration: iStockphoto

Today, middleware can run on a dedicated computer at each facility where RFID interrogators are deployed, on each interrogator or on a networking appliance where the technology is used. These solutions are often called "edgeware," because they're deployed close to the edge of the network—at, for instance, a manufacturing facility or distribution center. Middleware can also be deployed at a data center with a wide area network (WAN) to communicate with the readers. There are pros and cons to each deployment option, says Ken Traub, founder of Ken Traub Consulting, which advises end users on RFID software architecture and standards strategy.