IBM Adds New RFID Services and Software to Its RFID Portfolio

Internal IBM RFID Implementation Also Announced Alongside Opening of New RFID Test Center in Ireland

DALLAS, TX - 28 Feb 2006: Today at RFID World IBM announced the addition of new radio frequency identification (RFID) services and software to its expansive RFID portfolio.
IBM announced a new RFID service for asset tracking. The IBM RFID Solution for Asset Tracking can aid companies in their critical resource tracking and security endeavors, and in their efforts to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements. Its benefits range from tracking military equipment in the field to transporting hazardous materials.
Also announced is an upgrade to its 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 as well as central management.
Customers running the new software in a service-oriented architecture (SOA) can more closely align RFID to business goals and objectives. In a SOA, information from RFID chips including inventory, shipping and billing can be instantaneously distributed across a customer’s IT infrastructure as well as externally with partners or suppliers.
“With these new offerings IBM is taking important steps forward in RFID,” said Eric Gabrielson, director, worldwide RFID solutions, IBM. “IBM is continuously building in RFID, both in the functionality of our software and services that take RFID in new directions.”
RFID Capabilities for Asset Tracking
IBM RFID capabilities for asset tracking are based on a standard SOA-based software infrastructure. These capabilities can be used to effectively track critical resources, such as in chemical plants, petroleum refineries, healthcare facilities, manufacturing plants, paper mills, coal mines and other high-security or complex environments. IBM’s new RFID asset tracking capabilities can also be used to track mobile assets, including laptops and other IT and data center resources.
IBM RFID capabilities for asset tracking are designed to accommodate both active and passive RFID networks and can be used to monitor the location and movement of critical operational resources, high-value capital equipment and even qualified personnel. Benefits of these capabilities include improving ability to comply with mandates and other governmental and regulatory requirements, such as Sarbanes-Oxley, improve safety and security, improve operational efficiencies, streamline processes and reduce or prevent theft and/or loss of critical assets.
WebSphere RFID Premises Server
WebSphere RFID Premises Server V1.1, available immediately, is designed for deployment in warehouses, distribution centers or manufacturing plants with large amounts of traffic. The software builds on V1.0’s existing strengths in providing the ability to filter, aggregate, monitor and escalate RFID data to detect business events and to track the location of physical objects, with significantly higher throughput.
The new software is an extensible J2EE software platform that enables the automatic integration of RFID data from RFID devices into business processes. It ensures the reliable delivery of messages between devices and Premises Server, as well as between Premises Server and WebSphere business integration products.
WebSphere RFID Premises Server delivers starter kits for commonly needed tasks, including tag reading at the dock door. The software also supports Linux SuSE 8 and Windows 2003 Server, while providing integration with new RFID printers and readers. The updated version additionally provides material for capacity and performance planning.
Separately, IBM announced the opening of a 50,000 square foot RFID testing and pilot center in Dublin, Ireland. Dublin now complements a network of 10 RFID centers worldwide where companies can get hands-on experience with product tagging, supply chain integration, logistics management and asset tracking before going into production. IBM Dublin successfully completed its own asset tracking program fitting campus ThinkPads with RFID tags, enabling IBM to test its own RFID capabilities for asset tracking, including the use of WebSphere Premises Server V1.1.
This adds to the numerous internal IBM RFID implementations around the globe, including a supply chain management RFID system in place at IBM’s semiconductor manufacturing plant in East Fishkill, N.Y., proving IBM’s commitment to RFID.


About IBM
IBM is the world’s largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. Drawing on resources from across IBM and key business partners, IBM offers a wide range of services, solutions and technologies that enable companies to take full advantage of the on demand era. For more information about IBM, visit http://www.ibm.com.

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Jan Walbridge

IBM Media Relations

IBM

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