RFID Sourcebook [Hardcover]

Sandip Lahiri (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131851373 | ISBN-13: 978-0131851375 | Publication Date: September 10, 2005

The realistic, no-hype guide to RFID evaluation, planning, and deployment Approaching crucial decisions about Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology? This book will help you make choices that maximize the business value of RFID technology and minimize its risks. IBM's Sandip Lahiri, an experienced RFID solution architect, presents up-to-the-minute insight for evaluating RFID; defining optimal strategies, blueprints, and timetables; and deploying systems that deliver what they promise. Drawing on his experience, Lahiri offers candid assessments of RFID's potential advantages, its technical capabilities and limitations, and its business process implications. He identifies pitfalls that have tripped up early adopters, and shows how to overcome or work around them. This must-have resource can also act as a reference guide to any nontechnical person who wants to know about the technology. From building business cases to testing tags, this book shares powerful insights into virtually every issue you're likely to face.Coverage includes *RFID "reality check": getting beyond the hype and the counterreaction *Aligning RFID strategy with business strategy *Assessing applications, both prevalent and emerging *Identifying opportunities to use RFID beyond supply chain applications *Choosing between RFID and barcodes *Realistically assessing potential ROI, one step at a time *Designing solutions that leverage RFID's advantages while overcoming its performance limitations *Understanding business flows impacted by a potential RFID deployment *Defining realistic roadmaps and timelines *Addressing oft-neglected real-world issues, from tag validation through managing expectations *Dealing with standards RFID Sourcebook will help you ask the tough questions. ..build the right applications...avoid costly mistakes...work more effectively with suppliers and partners...time your initiative...even find alternatives to RFID when that makes sense. Whatever your role in RFID strategy, planning, or execution, have Sandip Lahiri's experience and knowledge on your side: You'll dramatically improve your odds of success. A A(c) Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The realistic, no-hype guide to RFID evaluation, planning, and deployment

Approaching crucial decisions about Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology? This book will help you make choices that maximize the business value of RFID technology and minimize its risks. IBM's Sandip Lahiri, an experienced RFID solution architect, presents up-to-the-minute insight for evaluating RFID; defining optimal strategies, blueprints, and timetables; and deploying systems that deliver what they promise.

Drawing on his experience, Lahiri offers candid assessments of RFID's potential advantages, its technical capabilities and limitations, and its business process implications. He identifies pitfalls that have tripped up early adopters, and shows how to overcome or work around them. This must-have resource can also act as a reference guide to any nontechnical person who wants to know about the technology.

From building business cases to testing tags, this book shares powerful insights into virtually every issue you're likely to face. Coverage includes

• RFID "reality check": getting beyond the hype and the counterreaction
• Aligning RFID strategy with business strategy
• Assessing applications, both prevalent and emerging
• Identifying opportunities to use RFID beyond supply chain applications
• Choosing between RFID and barcodes
• Realistically assessing potential ROI, one step at a time
• Designing solutions that leverage RFID's advantages while overcoming its performance limitations
• Understanding business flows impacted by a potential RFID deployment
• Defining realistic roadmaps and timelines
• Addressing oft-neglected real-world issues, from tag validation through managing expectations
• Dealing with standards

RFID Sourcebook will help you ask the tough questions...build the right applications...avoid costly mistakes...work more effectively with suppliers and partners...time your initiative...even find alternatives to RFID when that makes sense. Whatever your role in RFID strategy, planning, or execution, have Sandip Lahiri's experience and knowledge on your side: You'll dramatically improve your odds of success.

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Sandip Lahiri is an RFID Solution Architect and Subject Matter Expert with IBM Global Services. He designed, developed, and taught IBM’s RFID training course for IBM Solutions Architects. He has wide, international experience in real-world RFID projects that involves leading solution design workshops, analyzing requirements, crafting architecture/design, and conducting implementation.

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: IBM Press (September 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131851373
• ISBN-13: 978-0131851375
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,259,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading if you are venturing into RFID..., October 9, 2005

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RFID Sourcebook (Hardcover)

RFID Sourcebook by Sandip Lahiri is a very well done title that you should investigate if you're starting to look into how RFID technology might be used in your organization...

Contents: Technology Overview; Advantages of the Technology; Limitations of the Technology; Application Areas; Privacy Concerns; RFID Versus Bar Code; The RFID Strategy; Creating Business Justification for RFID; Designing and Implementing an RFID Solution; Standards; Closing Thoughts; RFID Vendors, News Sources, and Conferences; Passive Tag Manufacturing Overview; Glossary; Index

I found this book to be the type that you could legitimately use in order to plan your company's approach to RFID. It's not a "rah rah" book that pretends that RFID is a panacea to all the manufacturing problems that exist. It's an even-handed coverage of the subject, and he doesn't have any qualms about covering the pros and cons that you'll have to consider if you use RFID. There's a degree of technical information in the book, but not so much that a higher-level decision maker would get bogged down in details. I guess I'd consider it more of a strategic book to make good fundamental initial decisions, and to get your project moving in the right direction early.

If RFID is something that your organization or industry is pursuing, grab this book to get grounded in the fundamentals.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High Level Deployment & Analysis, March 1, 2006

By 

Jonathan T. Kleinhans - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RFID Sourcebook (Hardcover)

Introduction

I was interested in reading this book because I intend on deploying a large-scale RFID solution in the future and wanted to enhance my knowledge on the technology. I figured this would be a good start since the author is an IBM RFID Solution Architect, and perhaps something he would state could disqualify my intentions.

"Learning more about the technology" is a very broad statement, and in my case covered just about everything from Frequencies and Business Applications to Public Scrutiny of the technology. Sandip does an excellent job of staying concise, unbiased and objective throughout this publication. Additionally, he provides insight as to why certain "sides" of public RFID critics/advocates may view things the way they do. The book mentions "getting beyond the hype" on the back cover, and Sandip does exactly that.

Sandip wrote:
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology uses radio waves to automatically identify physical objects (either living beings or inanimate items). Therefore, the range of objects identifiable using RFID includes virtually everything on this planet (and beyond). Thus, RFID is an example of automatic identification (Auto-ID) technology by which a physical object can be identified automatically. Other examples of Auto-ID include bar code, biometric (for example, using fingerprint and retina scan), voice identification, and optical character recognition (OCR) systems.


I come from an environment where my RFID hypothesis is already laid out; I just need additional information on the technology to ensure my deployment is a success. Not only does he give consideration to the variations of RFID technology, he discusses the necessity of businesses using RFID versus other technologies available today and the processes of evaluation, experimentation, deployment, and post-deployment.

Contents

The book starts out with a quick preface that gives a general blurt about RFID and narrows down who could find themselves reading the book.

Sandip wrote:

* Corporate decision makers who have received an RFID mandate from a customer or who want to adopt RFID for their enterprise
* IT managers who want to initiate a first RFID program
* Architects or developers who want to get practical tips and guidelines on implementing an RFID system and avoid the potential pitfalls
* Teachers who want to teach a course about RFID
* Students who want to know more about the technology to prepare for the RFID job market
* Consumers who want to be aware of how the technology is being used and its capabilities and limitations
* Anyone who is interested to know about the technology and its aspects


Although I can see "consumers" and "anyone interested" quickly becoming lost in his intelligent vocabulary, technical specifications and continuous references to variables and infrastructure.

Recommended experience in a technical environment before jumping into this book...and NOT intended for your "everyday Wal-Mart shopper".

Table of Contents wrote:

Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 - Technology Overview
Chapter 2 - Advantages of the Technology
Chapter 3 - Limitations of the Technology
Chapter 4 - Application Areas
Chapter 5 - Privacy Concerns
Chapter 6 - RFID Versus Bar Code
Chapter 7 - The RFID strategy
Chapter 8 - Creating Business Justification for RFID
Chapter 9 - Designing and Implementing an RFID Solution
Chapter 10 - Standards
Chapter 11 - Closing Thoughts
Appendix A - RFID Vendors, News Sources, and Conferences
Appendix B - Passive Tag Manufacturing Overview
Glossary
Index


Style and Detail

Each chapter starts with introduction to the topic, then dives into specifics relevant to the topic. His organization throughout the book is very structured and is incredibly easy to follow. If you miss something or don't understand it, you will probably find that in the next paragraph he will discuss it once again except in further detail.

Beware of chapter 1, it is quite lengthy and very technical although necessary for those reading later on to fully understand the concepts he discusses.

Throughout the book, there are plenty of illustrations and pictures of products pertinent to the context. Most illustrations were very "bird's eye view" on topics, but realize he is coming from the position of a high level executive considering a RFID implementation, who instructs all those in charge of the various departments to comply, then supervises and evaluates accordingly.

Because of the "high level executive" standpoint, Sandip doesn't dip into mega-specifics of RFID tags and readers. You are not going to learn how to interact with a RFID tag or reader by reading this book...you're going to learn how to determine implementation considerations (such as environmental factors, etc), the overall purpose, how to evaluate that purpose, select a vendor, comply with standards, implement the solution, and evaluate accordingly. Overall, pretty much covers the 7 P's concept...to cross your t's and dot your i's before spending too much money.

Conclusion

From a business perspective, this book is a must read. If you are considering a RFID solution, reading this book will give you some good pointers and ways of evaluating effectiveness and efficiency. Perhaps you don't even need RFID (that's covered too).

I thought reading this book was going to help me write data to RFID tags in my RFID Solution...instead it gave me new insight as to the scope and path of my Solution. There is no "one stop" book, but this one should be your "first stop". He gives direction as to where to head if you're looking for more specific or technical information, so you're not left in the dark at the end.

His Closing Thoughts (Chapter 11) was probably the most valuable chapter in the book. Here he cuts through all the hype and anti-RFID/pro-RFID sentiment and addresses issues from both sides. Yes RFID is young, and yes its use needs to be responsible. Its capability is directly proportional to the complexity of the infrastructure. If your infrastructure is secure, the implementation will be secure. What good is "10110011101100111011001110110011" going to do anyone if they don't have access to your infrastructure? Crossing the t's and dotting the i's...

Jon Kleinhans
(...)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent handbook, October 28, 2005

By 

Manish K. Agrawal (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RFID Sourcebook (Hardcover)

RFID is a technology that has the good fortune of being forced upon end users from major players like Walmart and the DOD. Soon therefore, many IT managers should expect to get involved in RFID assessment and deployments. Unfortunately however, much of the information about the technology comes from the marketing material put out by vendors. Though useful, such literature does not provide a complete picture of what it takes to successfully deploy RFID. That is where this book is handy. I think it offers one of the most balanced coverages of managerial and technical issues in any book I have read concerning any information technology.

The author's experience on the topic is evident throughout and the book is structured to guide the reader from an introduction to RFID to guidance in implementation. The first few chapters offer an overview of the technology, including frequency specifications and specifications of popular readers and sensors. To help answer some of the most frequently asked questions there are comparisons of RFID with Bar codes and a discussion on privacy issues, and many other issues.

Some of the most practical offerings of the book are the templates for all phases of an RFID implementation. There are templates for building the business case, creating use cases and the actual implementation. Though there is no substitute for experience, this book provides a sound footing for managers to prevent shooting in the dark.

I would have loved to see a description of a real case of a company implementing an RFID solution along with a discussion of the gotchas along the way. However, it is understandable that most companies are averse to providing such information for publication. Overall, this book is strongly recommended to any reader looking for a companion handbook on RFID.