RFID for
Data Centers IT Assets
Data Centers leverage RFID systems to automate the quality of service, security, and compliance critical to their operations.
RFID automation for IT Assets means less overhead and more margin for enterprises and cloud companies alike. On the other hand, IT vendors employ RFID source-tagging to move toward a Hardware-As-A-Service model, where they manage their own gear on behalf of their customers.
3 Applications of RFID for Data Centers IT Assets
THE CHALLENGES OF DATA CENTER ASSET TRACKING
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Automation - IT Assets come in high-density configurations, in small and large sizes, which call for tracking and identification methods that can be automated, ie work in bulk, without having to pull the equipment out of the racks.
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Interoperability - With IT Asset Management (ITAM) systems such as Nlyte, ServiceNow, Remedy...
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Metal - Data centers are metal-dense environments and RFID Systems require to be tuned to minimize cross reads and interferences.
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Unique Identification - Traceability is a key feature, preferably enabled with serialized ID (TID) or custom encoding of User and EPC memories.
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Machine and Human-Readable - A best practice that requires printing and encoding on-site or at point-of-manufacture.
HOW CAN RFID SYSTEMS TRACK DATA CENTER IT ASSETS?
IT Asset RFID systems are designed to manage a large variety of IT assets, devices, and equipment, throughout their life cycle:
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High-density - IT Assets come in high-density configurations which call for inventory methods that can be automated, work in bulk, and don’t require equipment to be pulled out of racks.
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Metal - Data centers are metal-dense environments and RFID systems and tags require to be tuned to control stray reads and interferences.
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Unique Identification - Asset traceability and compliance are key features enabled with serialized ID encoding.
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Hybrid Information - Identification is encoded and printed to make it readable by both machines and people.
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Tracking - Handheld readers are best suited for flexible, on-the-spot, mobile checks, such as scanning a facility without having to remove any item, or identifying misplaced equipment.
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Monitoring - Fixed readers can be adapted onto server cabinets to automate real-time visibility at the rack level.
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Interoperability - Some IT Asset Management (ITAM) systems facilitated RFID integration by providing native support.
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Embedded - OEMs rely on customized tagging solutions that are embeddable in the hardware at point-of-manufacture to enable tracking features from cradle to grave.
Whether you need to track laptops, mobile devices, PCs, removable storage devices, servers, routers, network cards, or other IT assets, Xerafy has tags that meet industry standards and are engineered for the job. Available for both equipment retrofit and source-tagging, the award-winning Xerafy RFID Tags and Labels are designed to deliver optimal performance for IT Assets, be they used On-Metal, Off-Metal, or In-Metal. Compact form factors are available to fit blade servers, rack locations, and mobile devices. More options are available regarding memory, materials, and mounting options.
DATA CENTER AUTOMATION
Data center automation leverages RFID systems for critical operational functions such as IT Asset audits, physical inspections, security, and compliance.
An average data center accounts for thousands of servers, routers, critical equipment, each required to be identified, tracked, maintained, audited, and eventually disposed of. RFID systems enable the automation of physical audits for more accurate and frequent IT Asset inventories, standardized across multiple locations to offer real-time operational visibility.
RFID and IoT solutions for data centers are designed to take advantage of the RFID capabilities embedded by vendors who source-tag their equipment. Wider market adoption is now paving the way for new performance and security standards, in accordance with regulations and standards including Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), the HITECH Act, PCI, HIPAA.
IT INVENTORY WITH RFID
Data Centers and Enterprises alike need to drive the operational performance of their IT Assets and control the efficiency and costs of their infrastructure.
A strong IT Asset Management (ITAM) system is built on a comprehensive inventory of all IT assets, including laptops and other mobile devices, inside the base network and outside.
RFID systems provide advanced tracking features deployed and automated across multiple locations. They help organizations remain compliant, prepare for audits, and reduce the likelihood of security risks by simplifying and accelerating asset reconciliation procedures.
And with hardware details tracked throughout their life cycle, actionable data is created that can be leveraged to manage vendor contracts, purchase orders, forecast demand for new assets, and maintenance services can leverage the same data.
RFID FOR IT VENDORS
IT Vendors have been leading the way with RFID source-tagging to streamline IT Asset life cycle management.
IT vendors offer equipment that is source-tagged with RFID
applied directly in or onto the product during the manufacturing or the packaging process.
The native RFID features help automate several internal processes such as reconciling incoming equipment, provisioning, and deployment.
Help desk support teams use data from RFID Systems to rapidly track down and identify equipment that requires maintenance services, upgrades, decommissioning, allowing for an active approach to power and heat management in the data center.
At the end of the equipment life cycle, RFID systems will simplify accounting for hardware and the data they contain, ensuring seamless compliance for asset reporting and data protection.
