April 8, 2005

There are many RFID middleware specialists and smaller B2B vendors out there: ConnecTerra, OATSystems and GlobeRanger, just to name a few. Even UCLA has its own RFID middleware solution.

However, a new report from AMR Research says that, by 2007, "The current market...will get carved up by the existing vendors in the infrastructure and application markets by 2007."

Right now, those vendors may be partnering to cover smaller functional areas of RFID middleware (including device management, local data management, and local workflow) while relying on existing expertise for enterprise applications, workflow, and integration aspects.

It's no surprise at all that, say, IBM would want to deliver a broader RFID functional stack.

However, enterprise applications specialists coming at RFID middleware are taking different approaches, according to AMR: "Oracle is providing the core RFID middleware technology through its own infrastructure stack.

SAP, while being heavily involved in RFID, is leaving the lower two layers of middleware functionality (device and data management) to its partners like Acsis."

Thus, there is still opportunity for smaller RFID specialists who focus sharply on a particular area to keep operating, or to become attractive acquisition targets for the bigger players; the rest, AMR suggests, may have to get packing during the next couple of years.

Source: Line 56