RFID IT Asset Tracking Solutions
IT Asset Management (ITAM) is becoming an increasingly important, yet difficult responsibility as the number
of IT assets increases exponentially. Trying to keep track of mobile assets adds to the complexity. Surprisingly
many organizations still use time-consuming manual pencil and paper, or barcode processes to track IT assets.
Not only are these processes extremely labor intensive, they are often prone to human error. RFID technology
can be leveraged not only to automate the physical inventory process, but also to provide real-time
tracking and security of IT equipment.
In a recent research study of enterprises implementing RFID solutions, surprisingly the majority of them are not implementing
RFID for supply-chain or manufacturing purposes as one would expect. Most are implementing RFID for IT asset tracking
purposes. The main reason is that there is a quicker ROI when utilizing the technology to track IT assets.
Data Center RFID Tracking Solutions
One of the most compelling uses of the technology is in the data center, where you have a dense population of
expensive, mission-critical assets that must be kept track of. Because RFID technology allows you to read
multiple tags simultaneously, having densely racked assets really allows the technology to show off its
capabilities. Using handheld or mobile RFID readers, racks of equipment can be inventoried in seconds.
Misplaced equipment can be easily located by waving the reader past each rack to determine which one it is in
without having to individually read serial numbers or asset tags.
Data center staff are typically not employed to maintain IT asset inventories, yet they are ultimately
responsible for accounting for hardware and the data they contain. The hardware and the valuable data contained
on servers is essential to ensuring data security and regulatory compliance. By accurately identifying the equipment’s
location, staff can easily track down equipment requiring maintenance or upgrades, equipment whose lease is up,
or equipment that is no longer being used to reduce power consumption and heat in the data center.
Specialized RFID tags enable small devices such as blade servers to be read without pulling them out the racks. Data center
assets can be tracked by walking around with handheld RFID readers and by placing fixed readers at entry/exit points
and other strategic locations to track the movement of equipment.
Some IT vendors such as Dell, HP, IBM and others are beginning to offer services to tag equipment with RFID tags
prior to shipping to the customer. This not only eliminates the need for customers to tag equipment, it can help
automate the internal receiving, provisioning, and deployment processes.
For additional information or to request a demonstration, please fill out our Information Request Form, contact sales at 770-427-0102, or send us an email at sales [at] inlogic.com.
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