SOFTWARE

IBM Expands Its RFID Portfolio

At RFID World, IBM (www.ibm.com) announced its new IBM RFID Solution for Asset Tracking. It aids companies in their resource tracking and security endeavors, as well as compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements. Its benefits range from tracking military equipment in the field to transporting hazardous materials. Also announced was an upgrade to the IBM WebSphere Premises Server for companies with heavy tagging traffic and high-value items.

This high-performance software enables tagging items at manufacturing line speeds. Version 1.1 is scalable software that gives customers remote deployment, a distributed architecture, and central management. Customers using the new software in a service-oriented architecture (SOA) can more closely align RFID to business goals and objectives. In an SOA, information from RFID chips (such as inventory, shipping, and billing) can be instantaneously distributed across a customer’s IT infrastructure as well as externally with partners or suppliers.

Select Reader Service 249

Loftware Steps Up With Print Server 8.4

Loftware (www.loftware.com) has expanded its offerings with the addition of RFID reader support for Alien, Symbol, ThingMagic, and AWID. The new Loftware Print Server (LPS) 8.4 is a solution for systems requiring a mixture of barcode and RFID technologies while remaining hardware agnostic. Software support for fixed mount RFID reader technology is added to this package. With the LPS 8.4, pilot programs can be implemented using multiple hardware devices with a single software solution. The highly-integrated, multi-device platform encodes and reads both Smart Labels and RFID tags to perform in real time with such tasks as building, receiving, and verifying pallets.

An enterprise-class solution, LPS 8.4 is a highly-scalable and fault tolerant system designed to handle thousands of requests targeted to hundreds or thousands of printers, local or remote. “The key to this advanced solution from Loftware is that with a single instance of the print server, a user can meet barcode and smart label requirements as well as other RFID use cases like verification, pallet building, and pallet receiving,” says Dana Anderson, Chief Technology Offer. “LPS 8.4 allows those with an existing legacy barcode infrastructure who want to bring RFID into their operations a less disruptive 'phased-in’ approach.”

Select Reader Service 250

Sybase iAnywhere’s RFID Anywhere Appliance Edition

Sybase Anywhere releases its RFID Anywhere Appliance Edition, which provides embeddable software components to engineers for building intelligent readers with features including critical security functions, support of a variety of communication protocols, and remote management and upgrade capabilities. RFID readers can now be built that are intelligent and drastically reduce cost of ownership.

RFID Anywhere Appliance Edition is designed to manage individual readers working on a standalone basis. Additionally, it can then plug into iAnywhere’s RFID Anywhere for broader, network-based management of both RFID and non-RFID devices. This gives the user the ability to manage the entire network of devices available, thereby reducing costs.

iAnywhere has partnered with AWID to jointly develop intelligent readers that utilize RFID Anywhere Appliance Edition’s features. AWID will be embedding the software into its new line of low-cost readers. Learn about Sybase products at www.ianywhere.com/rfid, and AWID Gen 2 readers at www.awid.com.

Select Reader Service 251

Ross Systems’ EPC-Compliant RFID-to-Go

The software solutions provider Ross Systems (www.rossinc.com) releases RFID-to-Go, a new RFID solution that enables manufacturers to meet compliance mandates, improve traceability, and realize real-time inventory visibility. It is a flexible and scalable solution designed for process manufacturers in the food, pharmaceutical, and other consumer products industries. RFID-to-Go is an EPC-compliant addition to the Ross ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and Ross SCM (Supply Chain Management) product suites. Ross formed an alliance with GlobeRanger to deliver this solution, and Ross leverages GlobeRanger’s iMotion™ Edgeware™ platform.

“With RFID-to-Go, we’re providing the marketplace with a practical RFID solution that extends the benefits of the Ross ERP and SCM offerings,” says Eric Musser, Chief Technology Officer of Ross Systems. “Not only does RFID-to-Go make it easy for process manufacturers to comply with RFID compliance requirements, it improves supply chain visibility by leveraging EPC data to improve inventory management and increase sales.”

Select Reader Service 252