SAP Cisco RFID Investment

SAP and Cisco invest in Reva Systems through investment, industry collaboration, and strategic relationships. ...

... "Reva Systems, an emerging leader among radio frequency identification (RFID) network infrastructure providers, announced $13.5M in second-round venture funding that includes a capital contribution and technology standards collaboration with Cisco Systems, Inc.; a capital investment and strategic relationship with SAP Ventures, a division of SAP AG (NYSE: SAP); and follow-on investments from Reva's original venture backers and individual investors, including North Bridge Venture Partners and Charles River Ventures. Today's announcement brings Reva's total funding to $20M including the original Series A financing in April, 2004. The investments will fund Reva's growth in a time of intensifying global RFID market expansion. The company is well-positioned with a robust RFID appliance to satisfy network management and scalability challenges that the RFID community now recognizes as the key to widespread RFID deployment.



Reva's approach and its product development are aligned with Cisco's expectation of the proliferation of RFID and the resulting demand for innovative solutions and network management to support RFID deployments. Reva is leading industry standards committees to help define network-to-reader protocols and other standards that will streamline RFID network integration, and its approach is becoming the practical model for managing readers and collecting data across any RFID implementation." ...

Via Reva Systems: Reva Secures Investments from Cisco Systems and SAP Ventures: Funding accelerates RFID network integration effort ...

RFID Security: NSF Funds Smart Tag Research ...

National Science Foundation, NSF, provides funding to increase the privacy and security of RFID smart tags, through better cryptographics.

... "Strengthened security for smart tags - the wireless devices that allow drivers to zip through automatic tollbooths or pass a security desk with the flash of a card - is the aim of a new initiative that has received $1.1 million from the National Science Foundation. Led by Kevin Fu of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the researchers are developing much-needed cryptographic protocols, hardware and applications for the increasingly common devices. Millions of consumers already use smart tags—wireless devices that use radio waves to identify and authenticate people and things - and they will become more numerous, says Fu.



Smart tags - which include Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags—are already used to track items from library books to merchandise to cattle. Increasingly, they are replacing the magnetic stripe cards used in security badges and mass transit cards, sometimes also serving as electronic cash. The tags will soon be incorporated into documents such as passports; their use is being explored for tracking medical records and prison inmates. But the tags, which also include contactless smart cards and low-resource sensors, are a technology that has crept in from the edge of the Internet and they present new challenges in terms of security and privacy issues, says Fu.

The unique environment presented by smart tags - they can operate without human intervention and without a physically connected power source - presents unique security concerns, says Fu. Smart tags automatically respond to the device that reads them, so human users don't have the traditional means of giving or denying consent to the reader. This infrastructure of untrusted readers and tags requires an approach that preserves privacy while maintaining the flexibility and convenience that the tags offer.

The new consortium, dubbed the RFID ConsortiUm for Security and Privacy (RFID-CUSP), takes these operating conditions into account and is designing new cryptographic definitions, algorithms and models that will lay the solid foundation on which secure applications can be built. As part of their project, the researchers are working with the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). The project will result in the first completely open, publicly available software for experimenting with RFID security and privacy. " ...

UMass Amherst: UMass Amherst-Led Research Will Protect Consumers by Ramping Up Security for Smart Tags

Kevin Fu: "Open cryptanalysis of existing RFID protocols will give assurance in the soundness of reliable RFID technology. At UMass, we are investigating how to build secure RFID-based systems. "

The Sensor Revolution: Industry & Commerce: "Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) stands among the fastest-proliferating sensor technologies. RFID systems combine electromagnetic sensing with radio communications. RFID tags and interrogators can be used to track inventory in a warehouse or collect tolls from moving cars. "

Understanding Contactless Smart Card Technologies and Some of the Leading Reader/Card Product Providers (PDF): "That transmission could then be replayed to a reader to gain access illicitly at some time in the future. In contrast, today’s secure contactless cards and readers (such as XceedID ISO-X and HID iCLASS) employ a myriad of cryptographic techniques. These techniques encrypt data in ways that render it useless to an illicit user. Thus, traditional proximity cards and readers provide inferior communication security when compared to secure contactless smart cards and readers. "

Intelleflex RFID Equity Funding ...

Intelleflex Corp secures another round of venture capital funding to enable the scale-up of production volumes. ...

... "Intelleflex Corporation, The Intelligent RFID Platform Company, announced the closing of a $15.5 million round of equity funding. This Series B round was led by Morgenthaler Ventures, and was over-subscribed, with continuing participation by Series A investors Woodside Fund, Alloy Ventures and Selby Venture Partners. Proceeds from this round will be used to ramp production, extend the company's line of high performance RFID tags and readers and expand the company's go-to-market capabilities. Intelleflex products enable critical applications including asset management, yard operations, manufacturing WIP, supply chain and security / access control.



The $11.3 million Intelleflex had raised in its A round was used to develop the industry's first fully integrated multi-protocol EPC-compliant RFID single chip IC. In their battery-assisted passive mode of operation, the tags built around this chip offer operating ranges in excess of 100 meters, robust performance in difficult RF conditions and an extended feature set including 64k bits of user read / write memory. " ...

Intelleflex RFID Equity Funding: Intelleflex Corporation Secures $15.5 Million in Series B Funding ...

Global RFID Partner Symposium ...

Upcoming RFID symposium ...

... "The RFID Global Partnering Symposium is an international market network, connecting RFID vendors and start-ups with: new market opportunities; alliance partners; investment funding; research establishments and technology innovators. " ...

Via Global RFID Partnering Symposium

The World's RFID Vendor Community to Gather at the RFID Global Partnering Symposium 2006: "As the international RFID sector develops, hundreds of companies are now seeking to establish and develop their market position. With innovative technology, new players, new partnerships and new business models creating business opportunities across many geographical markets and vertical industry sectors, the RFID Global Partnering Symposium, announced today, will bring together the global RFID vendor community and vendor start-ups to discuss new market opportunities, alliance partnering, investment funding, research establishment and technological innovation. Taking place over two days, the 24th and 25th May 2006 at the Olympia 2 Conference Centre in London, the RFID Global Partnering Symposium promises to be the premier meeting place for RFID vendors, VARS, system Integrators, distributors, resellers and consultants to make the contacts and forge the relationships that will bring RFID systems and services to market. "

RFID Marks and Spencer Trial ...

Marks and Spencer continues its progress in trial of RFID technology. ...

... "Marks and Spencer is extending its trial of item-level passive RFID tags, called the Intelligent Label Project. " ...

Via CIE: Components in Electronics: M&S extends RFID trial ...

Marks and Spencer goes to market with a disposable RFID intelligent label. ...

... "Marks & Spencer is trialling RFID within the supply chain as the next generation of barcode. In that application, RFID uses tags (a tag is a microchip combined with an antenna) to wirelessly transmit product item numbers. These item numbers are unique to each product (unlike barcodes, which only unique to the product type). The tags developed for the garment trial are contained within throwaway paper labels called Intelligent Labels. The RFID tags can be read over a short distance by a remote scanner. Traditional optical scanners, used with barcodes, require each barcode to be held a few centimetres from the scanner: with RFID Marks & Spencer is trialling scanners that can operate at a distance of up to approximately half a metre. The scanner can read the tags simultaneously, and at speed, allowing regular updating of stock information. " ...

RFID Marks and Spencer Trial: Via Marks & Spencer: BACKGROUND TO MARKS & SPENCER'S BUSINESS TRIAL OF RFID IN ITS CLOTHING SUPPLY CHAIN ...

M&S meets with success and extends the trial to more stores and increases functional capability to leverage RFID technology in prevention of stock-outs. ...

Marks & Spencer: Marks & Spencer's business trial of RFID in its clothing supply chain: "Marks & Spencer is trialling Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) within its supply chain as the next generation barcode. We are using technology responsibly to give a better service to our customers through improved product availability. During 2004 an item level RFID trial on men's suits was conducted across nine stores. From Spring 2006, the number of stores participating in the trial will extend from nine to 53. Product availability is a key issue for customers, the extension of this trial will help us to investigate the potential of RFID further. "

Marks & Spencer: MARKS & SPENCER DEVELOPS INTELLIGENT CLOTHING: "Marks & Spencer is the largest retailer of clothing in the U.K and has pioneered many innovations in technology, such as Lycra and the machine Washable Suit. RFID tagging of garments will be one of the earliest applications of this technology in the world. Marks & Spencer has won a funding package from the Department of Trade & Industry to help develop this project. The DTI chose Marks & Spencer to develop RFID in retailing because it sells only own brand products and has an integrated supply chain, which will allow broad and deep research. RFID tags in clothing labels will hold information on a microchip, which will give each garment a unique serial number. This will enable Marks & Spencer to manage its stock more effectively in stores and throughout its distribution chain. When the RFID tag is scanned the information is stored in a database giving Marks & Spencer a complete overview of stock management. "

RFID Company: ThingMagic Financing ...

ThingMagic secures financing to support continuing operations. ...

... "ThingMagic, Inc., a leading developer of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, announced it has received additional funding. New investors include Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, and Nicholas Negroponte, Wiesner Professor of Media Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founding chairman of MIT's Media Laboratory. ThingMagic's private financing totals $21 million, including a line of credit from Silicon Valley Bank. " ...

RFID Company: ThingMagic Financing: Via ThingMagic: ThingMagic Adds Cisco, Others to Close $21M Financing ...

RFID Company Raises Capital ...

Impinj raises another round of investment funding from venture capitalists to sustain its growth in the RFID technology industry. ...

... "Impinj, Inc., the fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon technology enables its two business lines: semiconductor intellectual property and high performance radio frequency identification (RFID) products, announced it has secured a $26.5 million round of funding. Participants in the funding round included new investors GF Private Equity Group LLC, who led the round, and VentureTech Alliance along with existing investors ARCH Venture Partners, Madrona Venture Group, Mobius Venture Capital, Polaris Venture Partners, Unilever Technology Ventures, UPS Strategic Enterprise Fund and the Viterbi Group. This new injection of capital allows Impinj to maintain our excellent progress delivering the semiconductor solutions that our customers in the explosive RFID and the nascent embedded nonvolatile markets are demanding, said Dr. William Colleran, President and CEO of Impinj. We will continue to aggressively drive our product development and operations to maintain our leadership positions in those markets. " ...

RFID Company Raises Capital: Via Impinj: Impinj Raises $26.5M, Cements RFID Leadership Role ...

Impinj, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon® technology enables its two synergistic business lines: high performance RFID products and cost-effective semiconductor intellectual property (SIP). A leading contributor to the RFID standards for high volume supply-chain applications worldwide, Impinj leverages its technical expertise and industry partnerships to deliver the GrandPrix™ solution, comprising tags, readers, software and systems integration to offer RFID that just works™. Impinj’s innovative SIP products, core to the company’s RFID tags, are licensed to leading semiconductor companies worldwide, allowing them to cost-effectively integrate crucial nonvolatile memory (NVM) alongside analog and digital functionality on a single chip. Impinj's SIP products include the popular AEON™ memory, the world's first rewriteable NVM technology compatible with logic CMOS manufacturing, and AEFuse™, the world's first rewriteable fuse architecture.

TR3 Solutions RFID Retail CPG Systems

TR3 Solutions RFID Retail CPG Systems: Via Boston Business Journal: TR3 Solutions gets $4M for RFID delivery ...

... "TR3 Solutions Inc. has received $4 million in initial funding to provide radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems for retailers and consumer products companies to track inventory. " ...

RFID Reader Software Architecture: Funding Sustained ...

RFID Reader Software Architecture: Funding Sustained: SkyeTek, Inc. Closes $8 Million Series B Round: Proceeds Fund Further Development of ReaderWare™, Embedded RFID Reader Technology, and Expansion of Sales and Marketing Teams ...

SkyeTech sustains funding for continued development of RFID reader software, ReaderWare ...

... "ReaderWare is an open-architected software suite that unlocks the traditionally black-box nature of RFID reader hardware. ReaderWare is available for both HF and UHF reader designs, including the SkyeTek M8 UHF reader module and its M1 series of HF reader modules. ReaderWare enables SkyeTek to work with OEM customers across all the stages of embedding RFID reader functionality, from the developer kit, through modules, to an integrated reference design and software license. " ...

SkyeTek, Inc., maker of ReaderWare™, is the leading supplier of RFID reader software and reference designs that enable the pervasive application of RFID technology. SkyeTek’s Tagnostic ™ reader technology works with most industry standard tags and smart labels, its low power requirements and a small form factor make it the optimal choice for embedding into new or existing RFID products. SkyeTek’s RFID reader technology is available in several formats including reader modules, hardware reference designs, and the ReaderWare™ software suite. SkyeTek markets to OEM customers in targeted vertical markets with several high-volume licensing options available. SkyeTek is based in Boulder, Colo.

Tangible Value RFID Data ...

Tangible Value RFID Data: TrueDemand Launches with six million in funding to develop new class of predictive applications that will drive value from rfid implementations: Investments from Mayfield and Bay Partners Provide Capital to Create Applications that Enable Organizations to Gain Greater Value from RFID Investments ...

... "TrueDemand Software, Inc. announces the launch of the company and its strategy to deliver a suite of radio frequency identification (RFID) applications for manufacturers and retailers that will help organizations derive tangible and rapid value from the data generated by RFID tags. " ...

TrueDemand Software, a pioneer in the development of RFID-enabled enterprise applications, provides a new class of predictive supply chain solutions that help solve supply chain execution and planning problems to reduce out-of-stocks and excess inventory. By combining RFID-based information with TrueDemand’s business solutions, organizations can better manage the live replenishment of RFID-tagged inventory from production through sale across the supply-and-demand network. As a result, customers can better anticipate and proactively remedy supply chain problems before they occur, gaining greater value from their RFID investments. The TrueDemand team includes RFID innovators and proven supply chain experts instrumental in the advancement of RFID technology and the efforts of the Auto-ID Center, now EPC Global. Headquartered in Los Gatos, California, the company is backed by leading venture capital firms Mayfield and Bay Partners.

Texas RFID Animal Identification Trials

Texas RFID Animal Identification Trials: Texas Animal Health Commission: Real Life Trials for Animal Identification Underway: Livestock Owners: Get Your Premises Number Now ...

State of Texas trials RFID technology for animal identification through this year ...

... "Through the rest of the year, livestock identification in Texas is moving from the drawing board to field conditions to test identification devices, equipment durability and reliability. Using USDA cooperative agreement funding, the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has awarded contracts to four manufacturers of radio frequency ear tags (RFID), five makers of tag reader devices, four computer software providers and a data trustee to maintain the computer records. Tag readers and computers are set up in several livestock markets, and customers of these facilities will be issued RFID ear tags for cattle that will be marketed through the livestock markets. " ...

Registering for a premises identification number is easy, and the application is simple to complete. Producers can call for an application, or they can go on the internet to register. To obtain a paper copy or schedule a presentation, call the TAHC at 1-800-550-8242.

Alien RFID Obtains Funding ...

Alien RFID Obtains Funding: Alien Technology® Secures $66 Million In New Round Of Funding ...

... "Alien Technology announced the completion of a $66 million round of financing, led by SunBridge Partners. The financing provides the company with capital to continue its expansion and drive new market opportunities in the face of accelerating global demand for RFID technology. " ...

Alien Technology Corporation is a leading provider of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) products for global customers in government, retail, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, transportation, and other industries. Using its patented manufacturing process, Fluidic Self Assembly (FSA®), Alien manufactures EPC tags in very high-volumes and at low cost. The company provides a family of RFID readers for a variety of applications including supply chain management, logistics, and anti-counterfeiting, to improve inventory management and reduce operating costs. Alien is an active member of EPCglobal.

Cattle RFID Track Trace: Canada Program ...

Cattle RFID Track Trace: AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD CANADA ANNOUNCES NATIONAL PROGRAM TO ENHANCE CANADA'S CATTLE TRACKING AND TRACING SYSTEM ...

... "The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Andy Mitchell today announced $1.8 million in Government of Canada funding towards the Canadian Radio Frequency Identification (CRFID) Reader Program. The Canadian Radio Frequency Identification (CRFID) Reader Program will improve the tracking and tracing of cattle beyond the farm gate using radio frequency identification (RFID) reader technology. " ...

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has allocated $1.8 million to facilitate the upload of information to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) and Agri-Traceabilité Québec (ATQ) through the purchase of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers. The Canadian Radio Frequency Identification (CRFID) Reader Program will provide assistance up to 50 percent of the purchase price within pre-determined caps, for approved radio frequency identification (RFID) reader(s), to eligible applicants in the cattle industry. The CRFID will improve the tracking and tracing of cattle beyond the farm gate using RFID reader technology. The objective of the program is to ensure that the cattle industry has the necessary equipment to fully participate in the cattle tracking and tracing system initiative.

RFID Tracking Corrections Industry: Real-Time Identification Drives Safety ...

Alanco Commences Multi-Staged Project With Los Angeles County Jail: U.S.’s Largest County Jail To Deploy Alanco’s TSI PRISM™ RFID Tracking Technology ...

RFID technology used to provide identification and tracking in the corrections industry ...

... "Alanco Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALAN) announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) to commence the pilot phase of a proposed multi-staged project to deploy Alanco's TSI PRISM RFID inmate tracking technology. In the initial phase, expected to be completed in early Fall, 2005, TSI PRISM technology will be installed in the 1,800 inmate East Facility of the Pitchess Detention Center located in Castaic, California, at an approximate expected cost of $1.5 million. The TSI PRISM system, which continuously locates and tracks inmate and officer movements, will be evaluated to measure its effectiveness in reducing and resolving violent incidents and impacting operating costs. Assuming favorable performance, LASD will seek additional funding to deploy the technology in additional jail facilities, ultimately enrolling all of the approximate 18,000-inmate population in the tracking program. " ...

Alanco Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALAN), headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the developer of the TSI PRISM RFID continuous tracking system for the corrections industry, which tracks the location and movement of inmates and officers, resulting in significant prison operating cost reductions and enhanced officer safety and facility security. Utilizing RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tracking technology with proprietary software and patented hardware components, TSI PRISM provides real-time inmate and officer identification, location and tracking capabilities both indoors and out. TSI PRISM is currently utilized in prisons in Michigan, California, Illinois, and a new Ohio installation.

RFID Real Time Management Mobile Assets ...

Tagnet International: Real Time Management of Mobile Assets and Data

... "Tagnet is a provider of solutions designed for the real-time management of mobile assets and data utilizing the latest in RFID technology, cellular communications and electronic tagging. While its solutions can be customized for virtually any business, the primary targets for Tagnet's solutions are the mobile logistics, security and fleet management sectors. " ...

Maximum Dynamics acquired 89% of Tagnet International in October 2003 and has been funding the commercialization and development of the Tagnet product and service offering since then. Maximum Dynamics has recently started its sales efforts to be first to market with a unique mobile asset tracking and management system like Tagnet. Maximum Dynamics is headquartered in Colorado Springs , Colorado and has an international operations center in Cape Town , South Africa . It also has offices in Mexico City , Mexico , Copenhagen , Denmark and Hong Kong.

RFID Tracking Evidence Management ...

U.S. Senator Tom Harkin has announced $1.5 million in federal funding for the Midwest Forensics Resource Center at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory at Iowa State University ...

... "A fourth part of the MFRC mission is development of technical innovations in management and infrastructure, or TIMI. TIMI looks at how information, engineering and communication technologies can be implemented in crime laboratories to make the labs work more efficiently with existing resources. A TIMI project will evaluate the use of Radio Frequency Identification tagging, or RFID, in crime laboratories for evidence management, in particular for process management in a section such as a DNA laboratory where forensics experts need to know how long samples need to stay at certain stages and make sure they don�t go to the wrong department at the wrong time. " ...

RFID Electronic Toll Collection: Historical Perspectives ...

Long Range Planning: Infrastructure Needs & Financing: Funding the Capital & Operating Needs of New York City's Bridges & Streets

... "One family of such systems uses radio frequency electronic identification (RFID) technology, which its advocates claim is superior to optical or magnetic identification technology because it can identify vehicles at greater distances and higher speeds, and because its performance is unaffected by bad weather or dirt. RFID systems are becoming available for a number of different transportation-related purposes, including toll collection. RFID toll collection systems are currently in operation on the Crescent City Connection Bridge and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in New Orleans, the Dallas North Tollway, the Oklahoma Turnpike, and on several toll roads in France and Italy. The Port Authority and TBTA have been field testing this technology since 1988. The Port and TBTA have also formed a working group with seven other toll authorities in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in the expectation of being able to establish a single electronic toll collection system for all major toll facilities in the northeast. " ...

RFID Software Solutions Alliance ...

RFID Software Solutions Alliance: LG CNS And Savi Technology Form Strategic Alliance to Extend RFID ...

Savi and LG form alliance to serve customer in the Asia-Pacific region with RFID software solutions ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... Savi Technology, a leading provider of RFID supply chain solutions, and LG CNS, South Korea's largest IT service provider with operations worldwide, have ...

... Savi Technology, a leading provider of RFID supply chain solutions, and LG CNS, South Korea's largest IT service provider with operations worldwide, have formed a strategic alliance to help bring Savi's RFID-enabled software solutions to LG CNS's extensive customer base throughout this Asia-Pacific region. (In a related press release today, the strategic partners also announced a joint technology project to improve cargo container security and efficiency with funding from the South Korean Government). Under the Savi-LG CNS partnership agreement, the companies will work together to co-market, integrate and implement Savi's software and inter-linked Radio Frequency Identification solutions to the regional supply chain community, primarily to international shippers and their service providers. ...

With over 15 years experience, Savi is a proven leader in RFID solutions for the management and security of supply chain assets, shipments and consignments. Savi's integrated RFID hardware and software solutions drive business value, such as reducing supply chain assets, inventory and operational costs. The company tailors its solutions to the defense, commercial supply chain asset management and global supply chain visibility and security markets. Savi's solutions meet the supply chain needs of defense and government organizations, global shippers, manufacturers, retailers, and suppliers as well as service providers such as terminal operators, asset owners and third-party logistics providers. Founded in 1989, Savi Technology is privately held, with headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif., and offices in Washington D.C., London, Singapore, Johannesburg, and Melbourne.

LG CNS was founded in 1987 as a joint venture between LG and EDS and has grown to be the market leader in the Korean IT Service market. LG CNS has implemented large-scale public IT infrastructure projects and played a major role in the Korean government's e-Korea initiatives. A total IT services company, LG CNS services include consulting, solutions, systems integration and management, Network integration, BPO. The company currently employs over 5,800 people across 6 subsidiaries, 3 joint ventures and 3 branch offices in Asia, Europe and North America. LG CNS provides over 5,000 businesses and governments across the world its expertise on a wide range of projects on diverse industry verticals ranging from Public sector, Financial Services, Manufacturing & Utilities, Transportation & Logistics, Healthcare among a host of others.

SensorML background ...

SensorML Purpose

... "Under the auspices of the Global Mapping Task Team (GMTT) within the international Committee for Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS), Mike Botts began development of an XML-based Sensor Model Language for describing the geometric, dynamic, and radiometric properties of dynamic sensors. Development and testing of SensorML has progressed primarily under the auspices of the Open Geospatial Consortium, through funding from the NASA AIST program, EPA, NIMA, and JITC. SensorML is also under review as part of the ISO TC211 Project 19130." ...