How Cisco and Reva RFID approaches compare

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: JOANIE WEXLER ON WIRELESS IN THE
ENTERPRISE
09/21/05
Today's focus: How Cisco and Reva RFID approaches compare

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* RFID vendor Reva certifies SAP interoperability
* Links related to Wireless in the Enterprise
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: How Cisco and Reva RFID approaches compare

By Joanie Wexler

The newly announced Cisco AON-for-RFID platform, described in
the last newsletter, is in some ways similar to - and,
effectively, validates - the network-based RFID architecture
announced by start-up Reva Systems in June. Reva plugs clusters
of readers into what it calls a tag acquisition processor, or
TAP, which sits on the corporate Ethernet and forms what the
company calls a tag acquisition network, oTAN.

The Reva TAP, which you can think of as basically a controller
for RFID readers, houses RFID middleware functionality involving
data collection, processing, and presentation to upstream
business applications, explains Reva CEO Ashley Stephenson.

Both Cisco's and Reva's architectures, at the end of the day,
intend to help enterprises scale RFID and integrate it into the
corporate network and application environment. The main
difference between the Cisco and Reva approaches is that Reva
doesn't intend to bundle applications directly into its TAP,
says Stephenson. Cisco, on the other hand, is bundling some
applications directly into its AON-for-RFID blades that trigger
actions elsewhere on the network, such as an alert that an item
is leaving a store unpaid for.

Also, unlike the Cisco AON RFID hardware, the TAP form factor is
an appliance rather than a network device blade, since Reva is
not a network infrastructure equipment maker.

Reva announced its own application interoperability program last
week, whereby application makers can test to make sure that
their applications work with the Reva TAP. The company announced
that SAP, for example, had successfully completed integration
testing of its SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure (SAP AII), the
business process logic within the SAP NetWeaver platform, and
mySAP ERP application, with the Reva TAN system.

A number of industry experts speculate that with the advent of
RFID appliances and other form factors that integrate RFID
hardware and middleware, such as those from Cisco and Reva, the
need for companies to purchase, install, and manage RFID
middleware as a separate discipline will eventually evaporate.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. McAfee, Omniquad top anti-spyware test
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2. Security technology targets the LAN
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir7473>

3. The rise of the IT architect
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir7035>

4. Cisco targets SMBs with convergence
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir7474>

5. DemoFall preview <http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir7475>

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To contact: Joanie Wexler

Joanie Wexler is an independent networking technology
writer/editor in California's Silicon Valley who has spent most
of her career analyzing trends and news in the computer
networking industry. She welcomes your comments on the articles
published in this newsletter, as well as your ideas for future
article topics. Reach her at <mailto:joanie@jwexler.com>.
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