RFID solution for IT asset tracking

Companies are challenged with accounting for millions of dollars of owned and leased IT assets within their expansive data centers. Of even greater concern is the potential compromise of corporate security if certain data center assets were to disappear. Now, a solution from NCR Corporation and RF Code – NCR TransitionWorks for Data Center Visibility – helps combat these concerns by providing a means to track the location of data center IT assets in real time.

NCR Data Center Visibility combines active radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and readers from RF Code with NCR TransitionWorks software and services to provide a comprehensive data center asset tracking system. The tags are applied to individual assets as well as the racks that house them, and tag readers are mounted to the racks. Companies can then monitor, track and manage these assets via NCR Data Center Visibility – an application built on the NCR TransitionWorks software platform.

NCR Data Center Visibility can instantaneously detect and alert appropriate personnel of an asset’s removal from a rack, providing exact information regarding when and from exactly which rack the asset was removed. By enabling real-time alerts, companies are able to tighten security and prevent misplacement of assets.

In addition to improving security, NCR Data Center Visibility makes it easier to physically manage asset inventory. The solution provides a visual mapping of the data center, and alerts IT personnel of events such as lease expiration, preventive maintenance, maintenance renewal or time for replacement, providing the rack location for each asset. This enables IT personnel to avoid costly lease penalties and ensure the company’s IT infrastructure stays within government and corporate compliances.

Finally, IT departments are tasked with accurately reporting their data center assets. Adherence to Sarbanes Oxley and General Accounting Office regulations is monitored closely, and penalties for non-compliance can be severe. The use of active RFID technology to continuously monitor data center assets helps eliminate the need for counting, and ensures that the location and status of assets are accurately reported.