reduce property loss, increase security and improve audit controls in the data center with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.

The HP Factory Express RFID Service tracks critical data center assets, such as HP factory-built servers, storage devices and rack enclosures, so customers can continuously monitor the equipment as soon as it is received at their facilities.

When deployed as part of a full RFID solution from HP and its partners, the service automates and tracks device movement, providing an accurate inventory of all assets throughout their lifecycle.

RFID is a data-collection technology that uses radio waves to remotely store and retrieve data to identify objects. It provides companies with up-to-the-minute supply chain visibility, including inventory, logistics and freshness dates.

“RFID has already proven itself to be invaluable for tracking assets,” said John Fontenalla, vice president, AMR Research. “This new service is key to strengthening operational precision in a data center and ultimately customers’ ability to lower operational risks.”
HP offers customers a breadth of advanced RFID-related technology, such as tags, readers, middleware and business applications, for tracking, tracing, inventory management and security. The company also provides RFID consulting and integration services and is an active participant in global RFID standards development.

Data center asset management is becoming crucial to customers, particularly those with thousands of servers in multiple data centers across several geographies. Many data centers operate with manual inventory lists and have low inventory accuracy. With moves, adds and changes, keeping track of technology devices can be complex.

HP’s RFID tagging process allows technology devices to be scanned from the factory to the customer without requiring workers to manually inventory each asset. Customers can then quickly locate and maintain devices with minimal employee intervention, saving time and reducing loss or theft of valuable technology assets.

“Escalating customer demand for automated tracking led to HP’s development of this service,” said Frank Lanza, worldwide RFID director, Technology Solutions Group, HP. “As an early adopter of RFID in our own supply chain and a world leader in RFID, HP is uniquely qualified to help customers lower their total cost of ownership and mitigate security risks through RFID services and solutions.”

Pricing and availability
The HP Factory Express RFID Service is available directly through HP or its channel partners in the United States and Canada, or as part of HP Factory Express, a broad portfolio of pre-priced, configured and integrated factory solutions and deployment services. Over the next year, HP plans to extend the service to customers worldwide via HP Factory Express locations in Brazil, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

There are two levels of service available. The HP RFID Factory Express Standard Service includes standard generation-two RFID tags affixed to specific HP products or packaging with a unique Electronic Product Code assignment and data tracking capabilities. The HP RFID Factory Express Custom Service allows for customized RFID tag placement and additional RFID services from HP that transmit RFID tracking information from the factory to the customer.

The service costs between $5 and $10 for each individual tag, which can be affixed to the outside of HP ProLiant and HP Integrity server systems, HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array products, HP StorageWorks Modular Smart Arrays, HP server enclosures and HP rack infrastructure. Additional RFID services and solutions from HP are available at an additional cost.

More information on RFID at HP is available at www.hp.com/go/rfid.