RFID Hype Has Organizations Scrambling for Solutions -- Without Understanding Limitations, Says META

Driven by retail market leaders like Wal-Mart and public-sector models such as the US Department of Defense, many IT organizations are scrambling for budget and guidance to attain working RFID (radio frequency identification) solutions without understanding the technologys actual capabilities and limitations, warns META Group. - (Voice Your Opinion)META Group believes RFID will enable an organization to improve its sensing capabilities, but decision makers should not be enticed by the "low-cost tag" hype, since RFID is not a one-size-fits-all approach with unlimited technical abilities. Even though the technology has proven effective in livestock tracking, toll collection, and premium product manufacturing, META Group encourages organizations to keep initial RFID projects at the case/pallet level, acting as bar-code replacements, before moving to more complicated supply chain implementations. META Group further encourages IT organizations to create a task force responsible for gaining an understanding of RFIDs capabilities and limitations. This group should interweave RFID technology with existing IT infrastructure and application portfolios as part of an overall adaptive organization strategy.