Channel Left To Its Own Devices In RFID Movement

That was the subtext beneath an avalanche of news pouring out of the EPCglobal Conference last week in Baltimore. The leading U.S. gathering of all things RFID drew major vendors such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft, all eager to say something about how they are incorporating RFID support. There still are few programmatic efforts for involving midmarket systems integrators and resellers in the expected RFID groundswell.

ABC Computers, for example, was the catalyst behind a successful Microsoft pilot extending RFID capabilities. A longtime Navision VAR focused on the manufacturing sector, ABC took it upon itself to research RFID technology, find the right printer and RFID reader vendors, and approach Microsoft for help with an existing Navision customer, Jack Link's Beef Jerky.

"We asked Microsoft to provide us with their subject- and content-matter experts," said George Britts, vice president of business development for the Waupaca, Wis., solution provider. "It's fair to say that Microsoft was a willing audience. But we were the catalyst. Was it a lot of effort to put together all of the powers inside Microsoft? Yes. But we are so passionate about RFID for data collection that we want it in the hands of the channel for MBS [Microsoft Business Solutions] and Navision."

As a result of ABC's work, the Redmond, Wash., software giant said MBS will include RFID support in upcoming versions of Axapta, Great Plains and Navision.

Meanwhile, leading government solution provider GTSI has teamed up with two-year-old RFID vendor ODIN Technologies, of Ireland, as part of its own push into the market.

"ODIN is a tiny element of our activities in RFID," said Arpad Toth, head of GTSI's Sentrix Physical Security business unit. "This is likely to be part of a series of announcements from us in the RFID area."

ABC and GTSI stand out for their ability to understand how a complex technology can be tapped to build business opportunities. The trouble is, that's the way most solution providers will have to glean information in the near term.

IBM, for example, still cannot say whether it will offer any sort of channel education program when it introduces its WebSphere RFID server in the next calendar quarter. HP's intentions also remain largely focused on the enterprise, with global integrator partners such as Bearing Point.

One vendor that has set out to educate its channel is Sun Microsystems, with its Sun RFID offering for iForce partners, available in mid-October.

A developer program for independent hardware and software vendors, VARs and systems integrators, the offering includes downloadable toolkits for writing hardware reader adapters as well as downloadable Sun Java Systems RFID software for handling the communications and processing of electronic product code (EPC) data and events that pass between RFID readers and tags. It also includes a Web site containing white papers and other RFID-related documentation and technical support.