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IT-Austria Taps RFID to Track Assets
Each data center has a Psion Teklogix Workabout Pro C handheld computer with an RFID interrogator module, as well as two Toshiba Tec RFID label printer-encoders—one used by the receiving department for tagging new hardware, the other by the IT department for tagging existing items.
The project launched at the end of 2007 but took some time to implement, since IT-Austria wanted to tag a majority of the assets itself, for security purposes. Once the system was implemented, IT-Austria and its project partners held a short training session explaining how to use the handhelds, as well as how to utilize the workstation for administrating data, print the RFID labels and generate reports.
According to Windischbauer, IT-Austria benefits from fast, error-free asset identification, a reduction of manual labor, faster auditing of inventory and the ability to optimize its asset-related capital by scheduling asset replacements and additional investments. The company, he says, is considering further projects, such as employing RFID to inventory its own desktop computers.
The use of RFID to help companies track IT assets continues to gain momentum. Technical developments have made it possible for companies to leverage industry-standard EPC Gen 2 passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) tags rather than active RFID tags, which are more expensive. Until recently, businesses were limited to active tags because passive UHF versions did not perform well on IT assets containing metal, which can interfere with RF waves. In mid-2008, RFID systems integrator ODIN Technologies conducted a study that showed passive EPC Gen 2 RFID tags and interrogators can be effective for tracking IT assets (see ODIN Report Reveals EPC RFID's Effectiveness for Tracking IT Assets).
What's more, PC Guardian and other vendors are rolling out RFID-enabled suites designed to help companies track, monitor, manage and secure their servers and other IT assets around the clock, from cradle to grave (see PC Guardian Debuts RFID Suite for IT Asset Tracking).
Moreover, IT hardware manufacturers are beginning to tag their products. These firms can now be guided by RFID standards set forth by the Financial Services Technology Consortium (FSTC), a New York-based organization comprising North American financial institutions, technology vendors, research groups and government agencies. FSTC recently published a set of standards for implementing RFID-based systems to track IT assets within data centers (see Financial Consortium Publishes RFID Standards for IT Assets).
The project launched at the end of 2007 but took some time to implement, since IT-Austria wanted to tag a majority of the assets itself, for security purposes. Once the system was implemented, IT-Austria and its project partners held a short training session explaining how to use the handhelds, as well as how to utilize the workstation for administrating data, print the RFID labels and generate reports.
According to Windischbauer, IT-Austria benefits from fast, error-free asset identification, a reduction of manual labor, faster auditing of inventory and the ability to optimize its asset-related capital by scheduling asset replacements and additional investments. The company, he says, is considering further projects, such as employing RFID to inventory its own desktop computers.
The use of RFID to help companies track IT assets continues to gain momentum. Technical developments have made it possible for companies to leverage industry-standard EPC Gen 2 passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) tags rather than active RFID tags, which are more expensive. Until recently, businesses were limited to active tags because passive UHF versions did not perform well on IT assets containing metal, which can interfere with RF waves. In mid-2008, RFID systems integrator ODIN Technologies conducted a study that showed passive EPC Gen 2 RFID tags and interrogators can be effective for tracking IT assets (see ODIN Report Reveals EPC RFID's Effectiveness for Tracking IT Assets).
Moreover, IT hardware manufacturers are beginning to tag their products. These firms can now be guided by RFID standards set forth by the Financial Services Technology Consortium (FSTC), a New York-based organization comprising North American financial institutions, technology vendors, research groups and government agencies. FSTC recently published a set of standards for implementing RFID-based systems to track IT assets within data centers (see Financial Consortium Publishes RFID Standards for IT Assets).
