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RFID Challenges: Wal-Mart And DOD Push For Adoption Despite Costs

While analysts say radio-frequency identification tags don't work well enough to replace UPC codes, and costs are still prohibitively expensive, some technology companies, retailers and government entities remain determined to infuse RFID into daily consumer life.. . .. While analysts say radio-frequency identification tags don't work well enough to replace UPC codes, and costs are still prohibitively expensive, some technology companies, retailers and government entities remain determined to infuse RFID into daily consumer life. "We are at an incredibly early stage of this technology and what it is actually capable of doing. All the promise of real-time supply chain visibility is just that. It's promise," said IDC analyst Christopher Boone, according to a Reuters report. But low reliability and high cost aren't stopping Wal-Mart, the world's largest and most influential retailer, and the Department of Defense from pushing their hundreds of suppliers to use the technology, suggesting the tags could see wider adoption in the next few years. With the ability to track everything from cases of razors to a car passing through a toll booth, analysts say the electronic tags are to this decade what the Internet was to the 1990s -- a promise of radical change in the way business is done. "Everyone has a hunch there's something big here, but no one can articulate it," said Jeff Woods, a Gartner analyst. The link for this article located at Wired is no longer available. . The push for RFID technology by leaders like Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense has sparked debate, with advocates touting its potential benefits in inventory management and logistics.. Radio Frequency Identification, Supply Chain Management, Retail Technology. . LinuxSecurity.com Team

Nov 03, 2003 • LinuxSecurity.com Team Privacy