Chapter 8. Vendor Considerations and Landscape


Vendor Selection Approach 128

Best-of-Breed 128

One-Stop-Shop 129

Trusted Advisor 130

Vendor Comparison Criteria 131

Vendor Categories 133

Tag and Reader Vendors 133

RFID Middleware Vendors 133

Computer Systems Vendors 134

Application Vendors 134

Systems Integration Vendors 135

Value Added Vendors 135

Specialty Services Vendors 135

Vendor Guide 136

Summary 136

Five Questions This Chapter Will Answer

  • How should I evaluate the capabilities of various vendors?

  • How do I select a trusted advisor for the RFID project I am considering?

  • How can I accelerate the implementation and deployment of my RFID project?

  • What is the role of computer systems vendors in RFID projects?

  • Where can I find a comprehensive RFID vendor list?


In this chapter, we conclude the framework we started in Chapter 5, "Framework for Deployment," to show you how to deploy RFID in your enterprise and what factors to consider. The vendor selection process is the last element of the framework for which we provide details. Proper vendor selection often makes the difference between a successful project and a failed one. For an RFID project, this is especially true because its usage is relatively new in areas such as supply chain. In this situation, selection of vendors with the appropriate expertise and staying power in the RFID field is critical. These vendors play a major role in helping you design, implement, and manage solutions with only a small set of industry-wide references, best practices, and case studies as aids. They must rely heavily on their own skills, expertise, and resources. They must also possess creative and intuitive skills to help overcome those issues and problems that may present themselves for the first time.

In this chapter, we provide the following:

  • A set of guidelines on what you need to consider in your vendor selection process

  • Comparison criteria to help differentiate between various vendors

  • A pointer to the latest RFID vendor landscape with detailed and categorized lists of key vendors and their capabilities and offerings



RFID Field Guide(c) Deploying Radio Frequency Identification Systems
RFID Field Guide: Deploying Radio Frequency Identification Systems
ISBN: 0131853554
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 112

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net