Omnitrol Networks announced immediate availability of a new release of its flagship software platform, Edge Application and Services Engine (EASETM) version 2.1. The company also announced the release of the OMNITROL-A (the Nano), the industry's smallest middleware appliance for RFID and sensor networks.
The releases support Omnitrol Networks' goals of reducing the costs and complexity of RFID deployments, and offering robust but lower costs solutions for large-scale deployments.
"Companies are feeling the pressure to reduce costs, automate processes and improve quality, all in the face of reduced demand and increased competition," says David Orain Vice-President Marketing at Omnitrol Networks. "So returns on investment and total cost of ownership will see higher scrutiny, and that's sparking some real innovation."
Flexible Middleware
RFID middleware must "plug and play" with more than one RF frequency or technology, and require less customization. Omnitrol Networks has added new features to its EASE middleware that make business process implementation completely independent of the RF technologies such as HF, UHF, UWB and Wi-Fi. The new software release includes:
"All of this reduces the costs of developing, deploying and maintaining RFID and sensor-based software solutions," says David Orain. "We've seen ratios of services to license costs over 6 to 1, which brings the project total price too high and slows down the deployment of RFID solutions."
Scaled-to-fit Application Network Appliance
Similarly, Omnitrol Networks concluded that middleware appliances must be scaled to suit the deployment. Omnitrol Networks has developed the OMNITROL Nano, which packs the same powerful EASE software as the OMNITROL Appliance, but suited for smaller RFID deployments requiring a limited number of readers or sensors. The new appliance is about a third the size of 1U rack-mountable server, and consumes less than 30 Watts, which is equivalent to an energy saving light bulb.
The OMNITROL Nano is both a plug-and-play solution, and practically plug-and-forget. A manufacturing company can have a complete OMNITROL-based track and trace solution up and running in less than 60 minutes, and need only maintain it when they add more sensors. The OMNITROL Nano is suitable for all industrial automation environments, includes serial interfaces, and is fanless with absolutely no moving parts.
"RFID deployments routinely get stuck in the pilot mode," says David Orain, "because there are simply too many variables. Customers have different requirements based on their environment or business goals, but were forced to make do with 'one size fits all' software and equipment, and abandon the deployments out of frustration. We want to see them get a return on those investments, and scale it up easily when they're ready to do so."
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