IT Channel Sees Growth

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- Information technology (IT) channel companies say their customersare showing more interest in radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, according to results of a new surveyconducted by the Computing Technology Industry Association (www.comptia.org) (CompTIA).

The worldwide survey of 155 IT companies found that 46 percent of their customers have implemented one or moreRFID solutions, either as pilot projects or production deployments. This is an increase from a 2007 survey, when ITcompanies reported 34 percent of their customers had initiated RFID projects.

The most popular RFID deployments now used by customers are asset tracking, cited by 32 percent of IT companiessurveyed; personal identification (28 percent); supply chain (25 percent); retail marketing (15 percent); and closed-loopmanufacturing (9 percent), according to the CompTIA survey.

Customers come from a cross section of industries, including services, government, finance, healthcare, retail,communications, and manufacturing.

"RFID offers adopters of the technology a number of benefits, from improvements in manufacturing, inventory anddistribution processes, to reduced costs for product theft, spoilage or obsolescence," said Todd Thibodeaux, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA. "It's incumbent on our industry, with help from organizations such as CompTIA, to help customers overcome any obstacles to RFID usage and help them benefit from the efficiencies RFID can deliver."The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)