News | June 29, 2006

OMNITROL Networks Simplifies and Accelerates RFID Piloting and Deployment with Compliance-in-a-box, Edge Services Network Appliance Solution

OMNITROL Networks Inc., an emerging leader in the RFID industry today announced its pioneering all-in-one, service-oriented edge appliance, the OMNITROL. It is the industry's first intelligent, telco-grade network platform that radically simplifies deployment and transforms the edge infrastructure into an "always on" mission-critical, business process network without the need for middleware, or extensive backend customization. This edge-centric approach completely changes deployment economics by providing a substantially easier and more powerful means to integrate and manage RFID edge networks.

All-in-one solution reduces risk in RFID deployment
The OMNITROL enables companies to dramatically reduce the risk of incorporating RFID into their business by delivering a new level in integration. Whether they are seeking compliance with mandates, or an easy path to deploy and rapidly realize RFID business value the OMNITROL solves their deployment requirements. "Our goal is to provide the market with the most powerful, flexible, and easiest means to integrate and use RFID. Our all-in-one edge platform solution is designed to accelerate adoption by dramatically reducing complexity and cost of integration and management." said Raj Saksena, CEO of OMNITROL Networks.

Edge solution eliminates need for complex and costly middleware and backend customization
For RFID to become more widely deployed, integration complexity must be eliminated. "Today's back-end-centric middleware solutions are too expensive and cumbersome, RFID was never intended to displace, or radically change tried and trusted backend systems. The high risk associated with first generation RFID middleware solutions introduced a great deal of complexity creating unmanageable ROI and driving up TCO.

RFID was intended to do the exact opposite, enabling real-time information exchange and optimizing supply chain logistics and business processes. In order to successfully leverage RFID, RFID data should be contained at the edge insulating back-end systems", according to Raj Saksena, CEO of OMNITROL Networks. "A number of enterprises have led the charge in pilots where they have unfortunately had to make large investments in back-end customization and middleware integration. But for the vast majority of companies in the global supply-chain the idea of customizing legacy back-end systems is not feasible.

The OMNITROL is based on an edge-centric solution architecture that is distinct from both middleware solutions and other edge device approaches. Middleware dominant solutions introduce complexity and multiple points of failure to the network architecture increasing unnecessary business risk with significant setup and ownership costs. In contrast, the OMNITROL solution delivers a more subtle, evolutionary next-generation network appliance encapsulating all RFID processing and management, thereby dramatically reducing set-up and support costs and eliminating custom back-end development. RFID business values can be realized incrementally, minimizing risks and costs while accelerating deployment throughout the supply chain. With the OMNITROL, the network is the middleware.

Deployment-in-a-box Solution
The OMNITROL deployment-in-a-box solution comprises the four essential components necessary to evolve the network infrastructure to efficiently and economically deploy RFID sensors and telco-grade edge services on a broad-scale.

  • All-in-one, high-performance, multi-processing, industrial-strength appliance providing complete edge-of-the-enterprise integration for all network edge devices including edge servers, Ethernet switches, WiFi access, serial-port concentrators and sensor interconnect devices.
  • Powerful, yet easy to use service creation, business process integration, and provisioning with EASETM (Edge Application and Services Engine), where customers rapidly transform their workflow into powerful, and flexible, edge services to deliver RFID business process optimization.
  • "Always On" scalable edge service delivery via a federated, secure, peer-to-peer edge services network to support mission-critical supply chain logistics and business workflow services (for example, Shipping Accuracy (in/out), Track & Trace, automatic reconciliation, EPC ALE, etc.).
  • Telco-grade, service and device management, and reliability utilizing standards-based SNMP, and web-based console.

    Pricing and availability
    This high-performance solution-in-a-box enables complete mandate/EPC compliance, with the ability to scale to item-level RFID processing. Available in limited supply, solutions start at $12,900.

    About OMNITROL Networks
    OMNITROL Networks Inc. is a leading provider of service-oriented edge platform solutions for the emerging RFID deployment market. The company's OMNITROL appliance and EASETM edge application and services platform have pioneered the market for "Always On" enterprise visibility and reconciliation solutions. Eliminating the complexity, flexibility and scalability problems of first generation middleware and edgeware RFID solutions, the OMNITROL's unique edge-centric solution architecture enables the industry's most flexible and reliable means to deploy RFID at the lowest TCO in the market. OMNITROL Networks is a privately held company based in Mountain View, California. Additional information about OMNITROL Network's products and services are available at www.omnitrol.com.