Microsoft Adds Mobile RFID To Biztalk
Microsoft BizTalk RFID Mobile works in conjunction with BizTalk Server 2006 R2, the business process management and service-oriented architecture offering Microsoft launched last Fall, to allow workers to make realtime decisions based on the data they gather in the field using mobile RFID readers.
For example, a service technician on a factory floor can walk up to a piece of malfunctioning equipment, and using an RFID reader, pull maintenance history and diagnostic information onto the device, and then transmit that data back to headquarters.
BizTalk Server 2006 R2 introduced support for fixed RFID readers, and BizTalk RFID Mobile expands this to mobile environments, said Steve Sloan, lead product manager in the Connected Systems division at Microsoft.
"Connecting the data coming off that reader to backend SAP-type systems has been a challenge, but it helps make data relevant to the business," Sloan said.
Microsoft on Thursday kicked off a beta of BizTalk RFID Mobile and is recruiting customers and partners to take part in its BizTalk RFID Mobile Technology Adoption Program.
General availability is slated for some time in Q4.