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For Companies
and For
Individuals:
The Roadmap from RFID & M2M to
Pervasive Computing
What is
Happening with RFID?
Who Will Succeed in RFID?
How Can Our Company Recruit the Best People with
RFID Expertise?
How Can I Earn a Career Opportunity in RFID?
RFID Recruiters
provides specialized recruiting services for
private and public sector employers and for
individuals involved with RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification)
technologies, products, applications, and
services.
Based on our perspective we
believe that RFID in many forms - mostly
notably passive RFID and active RFID, but also
in the form of derivatives and closely related technologies
including NFC (Near Field Communications), BAP
(Battery Assisted Passive RFID), RTLS (Real-Time
Locating Systems), and sensors -
increasingly under the banner of "M2M" (Machine
to Machine) communications in conjunction with GPS (Global
Positioning Systems) and various cellular and
smart phone technologies - is
developing on a pace and trajectory that will
dramatically extend the reach of Information
Technology.
The following
information is intended to provide hiring organizations and individuals with a
clear view of the overall RFID market’s current status, recent past, and likely
future. Without a doubt, RFID is proliferating well beyond its historical roots
in EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance), toll tags and other vehicle management
applications, personnel access control systems, and smart cards for various
uses. Clearly, RFID offers tremendous opportunities for both private and public
organizations and for individuals.
Currently, for
individuals, most of the best opportunities are available for candidates who
have experience with RFID – especially with new and emerging forms of RFID and
new applications of RFID. Why? Although RFID is "hotter" than most information
technologies and has a very bright long range outlook employers are cautiously
ramping-up hiring to ensure that hiring doesn't improperly outpace revenue and
budgets from the many new business models being enabled by RFID. As of
early 2012, just enough "supply" is available in the market which means
that employers can sometimes choose from among candidates with significant RFID
experience. Over the next several quarters the supply and demand equation for
RFID experience will start to change.
Outlook Based on Last 5-7 Year Developments
The leading
semiconductor, inlay, and label manufacturers for passive (non-battery) tags
have ramped production capacity from the millions to the tens of millions and in
some cases hundreds of millions of units in response to not only the early
Wal-Mart, DOD, and other mandates but also as a result of the market's response
to the 2005 EPC Gen 2 specification and the subsequent (mid 2006) ISO 18000-6
amendment that harmonized the EPC and ISO specifications. As a result of
growing standardization and the steadily increasing success of early adopter
implementations, both RFID provider companies and RFID user organizations are
beginning to over-run the supply of experienced RFIDers. Further fueling demand
for RFID expertise is the fact that external mandate and compliance programs
have given way to internal user organization motivations as the primary driver
for RFID adoption.
Outlook Based on
Recent (2011 and 2010) Developments
and Projected Near to Mid Term Developments
Most recently (in the 2nd half of 2011) a significant development has occurred
within the realm of RFID standards - the GS1 ratification of two EPCglobal
standards: the EPC HF (High Frequency) RFID Air Interface Protocol version
2.0.3, and the Tag Data Standard (TDS) version 1.6. As reported by RFID
Journal, “The new air-interface protocol will enable 13.56 MHz RFID technology
to be utilized with Electronic Product Code (EPC) numbers, while the updated TDS
will allow aerospace and defense users to include their own industry headers in
the existing EPC identification system.”
These new specifications enhance and extend previously established EPC standards
to address market requirements for HF RFID applications while leveraging the
valuable work previously achieved with EPC specifications for UHF RFID
implementations. The result is increased radio frequency flexibility and new
data structure specifications to further accommodate interoperable data
exchange. These developments will help both RFID provider companies and RFID
user organizations to more readily deploy RFID-enabled solutions in the
healthcare, pharmaceutical, aerospace, and other industries.
During 2010 the
RFID adoption ramp started to ascend a notable upward slope. This slope is
being driven by increased retail industry adoption of RFID tags for use at the
item level, which in turn is driving unprecedented levels of demand for passive
RFID tags and readers plus associated infrastructure and services. After
several years of primarily using RFID tags for pallet and case level
applications, RFID tagging is now achieving strong traction at the item level,
especially for textile and apparel applications.
The uptake in tagging for textile and apparel applications is significant for
several reasons.
First, the movement beyond pallet and case tagging to item tagging brings the
potential for much larger volumes of RFID tagging, and generally, within some
limits, as volume goes up, price goes down - in turn making the tag cost to end
users (initially retailers but also end users in other vertical industries) more
attractive. And more important to RFID tag demand generation than lowering the
price on already inexpensive (for some applications, sub-dime) tags, the success
of leaders in retail item level tagging motivates further adoption by fast
follower and not so fast follower peer organizations.
Second, item level tagging for textile and apparel puts in place much of the
associated printer, printer/applicator, fixed and handheld reader, Local Area
Networking, middleware, application software, and the overall systems and
solutions which position textile and apparel applications as the lead rocks in
an avalanche of follow-on consumer products to be tagged at the item level; and
very importantly it also drives the development of cooperative supply chain
partner source tagging. Subsequent item level tagging will enjoy the benefit of
piggybacking on the infrastructure and know-how gained by retailers - and their
supply chain partners - in the first wave of textile and apparel tagging. The
recognition of the value created by textile and apparel goods tagging at the
item level will open the door for item tagging of many other consumer products.
Third, item tagging as an extension of supply chain management opens a myriad of
possibilities for item tagging to support many other applications from store and
inventory security to automated POS to more insightful inventory management
including real-time supply and demand-based pricing to dramatically enhanced
packaging and underlying product capabilities as each tagged item begins to
inherit an initially low level but significant, and eventually profound, level
of intelligence.
And fourth in many respects, the adoption of item level tagging will be seen as
a key if not critical bridge between consumer RFID applications and enterprise
applications. One component of this bridge appears to be positioned in the form
of NFC-equipped phones, as RFID smart phones will be recognized as natural
platforms that can function as both personal readers and personal tags - thereby
providing a tremendously intelligent multi-function web-accessible shopping,
funds, and transaction/payments manager.
The late 2010
NFC announcements by smart phone technology providers and mobile phone service
providers were significant indicators of future growth.
The impending
technology and market developments are likely to stimulate interesting
discussions between consumers, retailers, Consumer Packaged Goods manufacturers,
banks, credit and debit card companies, and telecommunications service
providers. Together, the new technology and market developments will surface
meaningful discussions and concerns about intellectual property rights,
authentication, security, privacy and more - including the proper role of
information technology within open markets and democratic societies. RFID
Recruiters believes now is the time to recognize that the technological genie is
out of the bottle and it will never go back in; these issues and the many
surrounding economic, social, and political issues need to be addressed in a
thoughtful, appropriate, fair and just, mutually beneficial and overall
"win-win" manner for humanity as a whole as the data and intelligent systems
that will proliferate at the intersection of these competing interests will be
nothing less than transformative. Addressing all the associated technological
challenges and market opportunities will require many forms of RFID and related
expertise.
Beyond Passive
RFID - Developments in Active RFID and Related Technologies
It is important
to note that in parallel with the technology and market developments in passive
(non-battery powered) RFID various derivatives of active (battery powered) RFID
are also gaining strong traction. Among active tag technologies 802.11 (Wi-Fi),
802.15.4, (ZigBee), 18000-7 (DASH7), Ultra Wide Band (UWB), and other variants
will proliferate. Additionally, Battery Assisted Passive (BAP) and energy
harvesting forms of RFID are evolving to meet specific market requirements.
As the various forms of RFID technology (both passive and active) develop it
will appear that entire other categories of edge technology will also emerge and
evolve such as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), Passive Wireless Sensor Tags (PWSTs),
Machine to Machine (M2M) communications, Mobile Resource Management (MRM), and
Location Based Systems (LBS); but in almost each case - from existing
technologies such as wide area Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and cellular
(mobile) phone systems to the new categories - we will see technologies and
innovations driven forward by various needs to wirelessly identify (in other
words, use Radio Frequency to IDentify) entities; and built
upon RF and ID capabilities will increasingly come the ability to
determine an entity's location, plus the additional abilities to determine and
report on the condition of the entity and the condition of the surrounding
environment. In turn, remote monitoring, recording, and reporting capabilities
will be augmented with remote control capabilities. Each of these "edge
technologies" will extend the reach of web-based Information Technologies being
commercialized in the form of Software As A Service (SAAS) and Cloud Computing.
Together, these technologies will create a profound new intersection between the
virtual (digital) world and the physical (analog) world.
Although people
often currently think of RFID in terms of “RF” (Radio Frequency) tags
that “ID” (IDentify) and track products and other assets within
organizations and through supply chains, RFID tags will eventually be thought of
as very small computers that happen to have a built-in wireless networking
capability. In other words, it is only a matter of time until virtually
every entity with a RFID tag can become a programmable/intelligent node on a
private extranet, a private intranet, or the public Internet.
What this means is that RFID tags are the basic building
blocks and the volume driver of Pervasive Computing.
Clearly,
experienced RFIDers with successful track records will increase in value. As a
result, the shift in supply and demand for RFID expertise will open new
opportunities for outstanding candidates with adjacent experience.
To understand
what types of career backgrounds are most in demand and will be key to company
successes it is important to see the larger and evolving picture of RFID.
Competing RFID Architectures and the Incorporation of RTLS and
the Integration of Sensors
The evolution of
RFID system architectures will in many respects be like previous IT (Information
Technology) evolutions which saw competition between centralized and
decentralized designs. With RFID, as tags become recognized as programmable
computers with finite but ever increasing amounts of processor and memory
capacity, IT architects will engage in competition to develop system solutions
with the appropriate trade-offs between "tag-oriented" and "network-oriented"
system designs.
Both system
design camps will argue that Moore's Law is driving computing MIPS closer to
free while the network-oriented advocates will remind us that Moore's Law is
also having a similar impact on conventional bandwidth and web-based servers.
In addition to
total life cycle cost (one-time and recurring costs), various architectural
issues including RF range, power consumption, functionality, flexibility,
reliability, redundancy, security, system management, scalability, and ease of
use will drive the competing system designs.
Innovative and
aggressive tag-oriented system architects will advocate squeezing ever greater
capabilities onto each RFID tag. This will be the course for most active tag
suppliers and potentially some passive tag suppliers. The tag-oriented
architecture proponents, especially the active tag suppliers, will pursue
applications including relatively long range access control, high value asset
management, and various other applications requiring true Real-Time Locating
Systems (RTLS) capabilities. Initially, more so than the network-oriented
proponents, these suppliers will also be the likely providers of sensor equipped
tags.
Sensors
will become an increasingly important function. Sensors will be used to monitor
and report changes in the environment such as temperature, humidity, shock and
vibration, and various aspects of security such as physical or other tampering.
Sensors on RFID tags will detect and report chemical and nuclear particles. The
applications for RFID tags with and without sensors will be nearly endless.
RFID Moves the Edge of Information Technology
to the Intersection of the the Physical World and the Digital Realm
RFID, when
combined with sensors, represents the movement of the edge of IT to an important
frontier; not only does RFID move the edge and reach of IT further outward from
traditional computing (as we have known it in the form of data processing
centers, departmental computers, desktop and notebook computers, and PDAs and
smart phones), but RFID with sensor equipped tags moves the edge of IT to a
point where RFID becomes the intersection between the digital realm and the
physical world. At this intersection is the practical ability to
identify, locate, and monitor the physical condition and surrounding environment
of virtually every inanimate and animate entity. And as
previously stated, this means that virtually every entity with a unique serial
number (or name) will have the potential to become an intelligent wireless node
on a private intranet, a private extranet, or the public Internet. Huge changes
are coming that will effect not only supply chains but the visibility, security,
management, and control of devices, data, workflows, and potentially people,
everywhere.
Network-oriented
system architects will shift as much functionality as possible to the
infrastructure of web-based networks and servers and will have a strong (huge)
initial focus on passive tags. Over time, as costs fall, the network-oriented
advocates will add sensors.
While the
network-oriented architects will say "Why add any functionality on the tag that
could possibly be put on a web-based server? Just get the cost per tag down as
low as it can go and get the volume of tags as high as possible as quickly as
possible", the tag-oriented architects will respond by saying "But unless you
put this or that functionality on the tag, the application won't work no matter
how much you want to use web-based servers."
In both the
tag-oriented approach and the network-oriented approach, extraordinary advances
in flexible miniaturization will drive impressive on-tag functionality including
standards-driven, tag manufacturer-driven, and user-driven data fields,
programmable processes, and other features.
Pervasive
Computing is Inevitable - Use it Wisely
Over time, as
RFID tags become recognized as what they are - miniature programmable computer
nodes on a network - the distinctions between the tag-driven and network-driven
architectures will recede. At this point, RFID architecture will resemble other
IT architectures which have matured to offer granular increments of processor
and memory capacity with options. However, where previously network interfaces
on computers were considered the front end, on RFID tags they will become
considered the back end and sensors will become the front end. In this respect,
RFID with sensors represents the completion of an important cycle in the
Information Revolution begun in the mid 1900s. In this cycle IT will have moved
from a low volume, centralized, and non-networked architecture to a high volume,
distributed, and networked architecture. The extent of centralization vs.
autonomy is subject only to objectives and values yet to be economically and
politically determined. What is clear is that the ability to create Pervasive
Computing is inevitable. RFID Recruiters believes that as with every technology
developed by humanity the responsibility resides with humanity to use the
technology wisely.
In the early
days, tag providers will offer very specialized tags. As the market matures,
the winning providers will offer a family of tags that will support a high
degree of functional portability among the tags. The tags, the readers
(reader-writers) and the ability to manage the RFID edge environment and the
ability to integrate the edge environment with IT systems everywhere will give
rise to platforms for Pervasive Computing.
From Millions to
Billions and Trillions
As a frame of
reference, some analysts (focused on conventional computers, mostly PCs) have
said that the one billionth computer was shipped in 2002 and that the two
billionth computer likely shipped in 2007. While forecasts are certainly
subject to error some well reported market research projected that 20 billion
RFID tags could be in use as early as 2008. Another study claimed that 1.3
billion tags were produced in 2005 and projected that 33 billion tags would be
produced in 2010. No doubt it is easier to make projections than sales
(especially in the post Q4 2008 economy). The reality is that it takes time to
develop and implement end to end enterprise-class RFID solutions within closed
loop (intra-organization) environments and even more time to gain concurrence on
workflow automation in open loop (inter-organization) applications.
Nonetheless, the number of RFID tags sold during 2009 (not the entire installed
base) appears to have reached nearly 2 billion tags including passive labels,
other CPG/retail tagging, smart cards (including passports, other ID cards, and
prepaid cards), toll tags, automotive and industrial applications, healthcare
applications, military applications, and a myriad of other uses.
To put the
numbers in further perspective, one author/blogger/consultant estimated that as
of 2007 the world had about 800 million registered automobiles, 1.3 billion
fixed line telephones, 1.5 billion TVs, and 2.7 billion mobile phones. It
appears that RFID tags are on a trajectory to exceed all of these, and the total
number of PCs, combined. In fact, in the not too distant future, RFID tags
might wind up being put on or in many of the new versions of these products,
along with many, many more things. In December 2009 IBM ran TV commercials
saying that "soon there will be one trillion connected devices in the
world." Perhaps of equal or greater significance is another
trend quantified in a more recent IBM commercial (as of September 2010) in which
IBM stated that "66% of new
products have some form of intelligence built in."
What is
important to recognize is that increasingly RFID tags will not be just devices
used to identify and locate entities, and to report on conditions; in fact,
beyond the very compelling vision of the "Internet of Things" RFID tags are
on the path to becoming programmable and networkable computers.
Clearly, embedded computing and RFID are converging - and it appears that a
large wave of NFC (Near Field Communications) applications will implement RFID
as both a tag and a reader in phones and other mobile computing platforms.
Going forward, new and improved applications for RFID will be limited only by
increasingly easier levels of cost-justification and people's imagination. It
is worth repeating: Virtually every entity with a unique serial number
(or name) will have the potential to become an intelligent wireless node on a
private intranet, a private extranet, or the public Internet.
From IP Addresses to EPC (and potentially
other) Addresses
Much of the
established IT (computing and networking) world currently thinks of an
addressable node as something that has an IP address; but what RFID has
established is that it’s possible to make a single low cost (RFID) chip with an
antenna become wirelessly addressable with a unique (but non-IP) EPC
identifier. And it's not just "possible" - it's 100% real and becoming more
prominent every day. As described above, RFID tags are already installed in
quantity billions and shipping more billions per year. Further, as RFID tags
proliferate so do RFID readers - which presents the question: "What is the
future for RFID readers?"
As part of the
proliferation of RFID tags and RFID readers, RFID readers are increasingly being
embedded in various other devices - both within handheld (mobile) devices and in
fixed installations. Along these lines, just starting to emerge in the IT world
as a significant new product category is the IP-based femtocell. Femtocells are
effectively low cost telco/consumer wireless base stations that can support a
myriad of wireless and wired bandwidth handoffs for locations that have
historically been just beyond the reach of current large scale IP managed
networks. Potentially, femtocells (and their brothers picocells and microcells)
could be a fundamental bridge that translates IP and EPC identifiers (or other
non-IP address identifiers) back and forth; already femotocells can integrate
the reader architecture of some forms of active RFID (for ZigBee and Wifi RTLS)
and they could potentially be adapted to support ISO 18000-7, UWB, etc. - and
also passive EPC readers.
Being the telco
and enterprise class manageable bridge from the “traditional” IP-based edge of
IT architectures to the newly emerging but rapidly proliferating edge (as
represented by RFID and sensor technology) is a very natural and powerful role
for femtocells.
The result is an
architecture that is potentially end user installable and that is telco or
enterprise manageable, low cost, standards-based, open and remotely software
upgradeable, and (relatively-speaking) very high bandwidth. In this
architecture femtocells can be a bridge to the “Internet of Things” as
represented by RFID, NFC, and sensors. Femtocells can not only support the
rapid deployment of enterprise-class traditional voice, text, data, image, and
video applications but they can also support the emerging RTLS/Location Based
Services and the huge number of devices and apps that will comprise the M2M
market. What this means is that large scale manageable deployments for an
endless array of applications can be extended to enterprise locations,
mid-market business locations, and SOHO (Small Office Home Office) locations.
Technologies,
Products, Applications, Solutions, and Services
& The Cloud
Some providers
and users will opt for various RFID technologies and products packaged as a
system while others will opt for applications and solutions delivered as a
service. Clearly, in the coming architecture battles experienced IT personnel
from product line managers to engineers to sales executives will find many
opportunities to add value to their employer's and customers' initiatives.
Opportunities will exist for ITers experienced with hardware and software
development from the chip level to the system level, in both the digital and the
RF realms. Encryption, access control, asset management, and other security
specialists will enjoy increased demand. Likewise, for RFID user companies,
RFID technologists and business process re-engineering specialists will become
important members of cross-functional teams.
As RFID and
sensors meet Cloud Computing the world will see Pervasive Computing emerge.
Many Competing
Demands for RFID Expertise
Providers of
sensor technologies, chips, antennas, inlays, labels, printers, print and apply
machines, readers, portal and other edge software, middleware, application
software, hosting and outsourcing services, consulting, system integration, and
total solutions will increasingly look to exceptional technology and business
candidates who are new to RFID but who have demonstrated the ability to bring
new technologies to market.
Of particular
value will be candidates who have experience with enterprise software that
automates workflow. Candidates with ERP, logistics, warehouse management, CRM,
and other application provider experience will be among the many new entrants to
the RFID field. (Sooner or later the supply chain implementation of RFID will
extend to and past the Point Of Sale to the consumer's home.) Software oriented
candidates will bring value to RFID initiatives from two converging
perspectives: 1. candidates who bring expertise regarding the ability of
various application software packages to provide off the shelf automation with a
reasonable amount of configuring (vs. large scale customization), and 2.
candidates who bring expertise in .NET, Java EE, XML and other web services
technologies that will provide highly flexible means of customization and
integration.
Regardless of
the technology platform, the high value candidates will be those who can
translate their experience in open loop Supply Chain Management, closed loop
asset management, and other business processes within (and across) industry
verticals into contacts, knowledge, skills, and insights that can be leveraged
by their new RFID-enabling or RFID-enabled employers. Consultants and others
who utilize consultative methodologies to develop innovative but practical RFID
use-cases for their customers will be increasingly in demand.
As always in
early adopter markets, candidates who can lead users to the automation of
vertical and horizontal workflows in a manner that is cost-justifiable and
consistent with users' strategic business objectives will be among the most
valuable new RFID employees.
What Is the Fastest Way
to Get Up To Speed
and Become an RFIDer?
Here are several suggestions:
-
Become a student of everything that has
to do with the EPC and DOD RFID standards specifications and the on-going development
of RFID standards; (better yet, find a way to participate in or become a
leader in the development of RFID standards). Become a student of the Wal-Mart and DOD
programs, the
progress of their compliant suppliers, and the progress of the RFID
providers who are implementing RFID solutions for the compliant suppliers.
Stay cognizant of the other companies and organizations issuing RFID
mandates and the other RFID developments around the globe including those in
Europe and Asia as well as within the United States. Become both an IT
expert and a Supply Chain Management expert - develop expertise in the
automation of supply chain workflows in one or more particular vertical
industries. Become an expert who can show how the implementation of
RFID technology will produce a Return On Investment.
While Supply Chain Management applications and the EPC/DOD standards
specifications are gaining considerable traction and have arguably become
the most visible face of RFID, be aware that many applications of RFID exist
and will emerge that do not fall within Supply Chain Management and that may
or may not fall under the umbrella of RFID standards. Give special
attention to active RFID/RTLS and sensor technologies, and give
consideration to the distinctions between open loop and
closed loop applications.
In general, most highly highly scalable and successful technologies lead
to standards - either formally approved by standards bodies, or defacto.
However, as with all technology adoption, the success of RFID (both for
Supply Chain Management and non-Supply Chain Management applications) will
depend on many factors - not the least of which is the ingenuity of the
people bringing the technology to market.
-
Follow the news at
www.rfidjournal.com,
www.rfidnews.org, and other RFID resource
sites.
-
Check with major book sellers for books
to read on RFID - the list is continually expanding.
Two excellent books are "RFID and Beyond" by Claus Heinrich
(from SAP), and "RFID
Field Guide" by Manish Bhuptani and Shahram Moradpour. These
books were among the relatively early but still valuable RFID "classics".
Another excellent and more recent book that offers impressive breadth and
depth is "RFID Technology and Applications" by Stephen Miles, Sanjay Sarma,
and John Williams. This book includes contributions from outstanding
RFID researchers and other leading RFIDers in the U.S. and around the world
and it provides not only a great survey of RFID technology and applications
but also keen insight regarding many of the key challenges and opportunities
associated with various forms of RFID and related technologies including
RTLS and sensors.
Check with Amazon, Barnes and Noble,
university book stores and other book retailers for the books cited here and
for new publications. RFID is a dynamically
changing industry - technological understanding and historical perspective as well as forward looking
vision can be very useful.
-
Follow
this link to our instructions on how to prepare and submit your resume to RFID Recruiters.
The keys are to make sure your RFID objective is focused and
that your work history clearly shows and distinguishes between your
quantifiable responsibilities and quantifiable accomplishments.
How Can Our Company Recruit the Best People with RFID Expertise?
Call:
RFID Recruiters
The Best People for the Next Big ThingTM
800-982-RFID (7343)
(If you already have RFID experience and a good career
position within RFID but want to know what you can do to help your company build
an even stronger team by hiring the best people to grow
your business,
click here and then encourage your colleagues to
read, print, distribute, and discuss the .pdf article
provided in this link.)
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