New CEO Riffs on RFID

1:05 PM -- Once a niche technology used in warehouses and isolated manufacturing plants, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) could soon turn up in your data center.

Last week, the new CEO of RFID startup Reva Systems, Tom Schuster, told me that one of his first jobs will be to forge alliances with some of the big-name storage and systems vendors. The likes of IBM and SAP are "essential partners" for Reva. Schuster also said he wouldn't rule out the possibility of an alliance with EMC.

Schuster's words reflect the growing maturity of the RFID market and the need to tie specialist tracking technologies and storage systems together. (See Reva Taps Into RFID Data and Reva Unveils TAP .)

It's a convergence that's likely to gain momentum. Just think about it: Users are already voicing their concern about an explosion in back-end storage caused by RFID data. Why not tie the technology into an Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) strategy? This approach could be particularly useful in tightly regulated areas such as pharmaceuticals, where product data needs to be carefully recorded. (See RFID Rocks Back-End Storage.)

The RFID/storage marriage could turn into something much more than a convenience. So don't be surprised to see more in this vein.James Rogers, Senior Editor, Byte and Switch

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