(Not So) Suddenly, It’s Asset Tracking

It’s hardly a new application, but a convergence of technologies and expertise has pushed asset tracking and management to the foreground.

As recently as 12 months ago, there were a handful of buzzwords that really summed up the applications that were thought to drive the RFID (radio frequency identification) industry. Certainly, ‘compliance’ and ‘mandates’ would be a couple of top choices. Similarly, Wal-Mart and the DoD would be seen as organizational catalysts.

Today, however, this thinking is undergoing a significant change. Compliance and mandates may drive companies to deploy RFID technology, but don’t expect to see production-scale implementations. Without business cases, companies are spending as little as possible to comply with particular mandates. And, that’s where the deployments tend to stop.

Enter asset tracking and management. Through mandate initiatives, enterprises now know about RFID technology and have developed an internal knowledge base. In fact, they’ve actually deployed the technology, albeit sparingly. To leverage this internal expertise, future deployments of the technology need to be based on a compelling business case. And, this is why asset tracking and management applications have gained mindshare.