The RFID solution implementation methodology for a business depends on a number of factors like nature of the business, the complexity of internal systems, mandates from customers or vendors, regulatory compliance and finally, a cost benefit analysis to determine the amount of investment warranted. Cognizant’s RfEADY is a robust implementation methodology based on the above factors, our implementation experience and industry best practices, providing an easy approach to obtain continuous value from RFID readiness.

Cognizant provides end to end RFID services based on our RFID expertise, implementation experience and leveraging partnerships with RFID hardware vendors. These include:

• Consulting Services:Cognizant’s consulting services include Applicability Analysis – to determine the most appropriate area for RFID application; Scenario Modeling – simulating AS-IS processes and RFID enabled TO-BE processes; Process Re-Engineering; Feasibility Studies; Technology & Vendor Evaluation; Cost Benefit Analysis and ROI Validation through Piloting; creation of RFID Adoption Roadmap.
• Implementation Services: Cognizant’s implementation services focus on RFID Infrastructure Deployment, Performance Testing and Optimization, Application Development, Middleware Customization & Deployment, System Integration, Support and complete Program Management.

Cognizant has a tiered approach for RFID Adoption:

• Technology Adoption: Identification of suitable RFID technology to be implemented as well as selection and deployment of RFID hardware and system integration
• Strategic Adoption: This focuses on the business application of RFID. The organization can leverage its upfront investment in RFID by proliferating to other business areas through strategic planning and foresight. Cognizant will partner with its clients to select the most appropriate business areas for RFID adoption, carry out pilot projects and determine the ROI for the next stage of Strategic Adoption with Rfoadmap and RfOI.

The RFID CoE has developed several Solution Accelerators for RFID Adoption:

• RFID Profiler – A structured questionnaire based tool for capturing customer/prospect profile, business environment and accessing the scope and drivers for RFID implementation.
• Applicability Assessment - Involves detection, analysis, objective evaluation and selection of RFID application areas in organizational business processes. The business processes are analyzed from the perspective of benefits, change management, infrastructure costs, system integration and implementation challenges and various factors like that. Cognizant's homegrown tool, eValuIT is a simple yet powerful solution accelerator based on AHP, is used for this. The aim, as always, is to arrive at an optimal decision for the right business area to make the most of RFID enabling.

• Visual Scenario Modeler, Simulator & ROI calculator - Cognizant has developed the RFID industry’s only RFModeler to allow Business Process personnel to visually represent business processes. This tool enables fast and efficient analysis of the business processes and the viability of their RF enablement. Further, the RFModeler allows rapid prototyping and enables reuse. It models business specific ontology, process orchestration and choreography to visually represent RFID application scenarios. Modeler can be extended to include organization specific adaptations and is a key enabler to architect RFID based processes and impact/feasibility studies. Using this tool, an RFID enabled business process can be drawn for any scenario like Cross Docking, Vehicle Tracking, Yard Management, Retail Checkout, Return Management, Receiving-Put away-Smart Shelf- Shipping. This is an animated, integrated tool with RFID simulator, RFID middleware and ROI calculator. Application testing can be done easily without the need of hardware, as it is capable of generating EPC/DOD/Other format data based on the reader type modeled. The fact that it is integrated with the ROI calculator ensures customer understands clearly the Savings/Cost impact – the RFID enabled business processes will make.
• Middleware – Vendor and platform independent ALE compliant middleware, available in both .NET and JAVA platforms, layered to separate device level requirements from business process requirements and supports easy integration with any third party product. Redundant data is filtered and can be configurable and flexible, making it easier to add new standards/regulations/business rules. It provides RFID Unit Controller to configure, synchronize and monitor arrays of readers and other middleware components locally as well as remotely across the network and is highly scalable and suitable for broad base implementation.

Cognizant’s RFID solutions are based on the EPCGlobal Standards and as a member of EPCGlobal US, Cognizant’s RFID CoE was involved in the standards development process through collaboration with other member organizations from various industries. Cognizant contributed to the development of Application Level Event(ALE) standard and incorporated the same in Cognizant Middleware as well. Cognizant was the only system Integrator Company who actively participated and Contributed towards Development of Drug pedigree messaging standard as well.

Cognizant’s RFID CoE focuses on building deep expertise on industry-leading middleware products covering the major companies in this space, including:

1. Microsoft BizTalk Server RFID

Microsoft BizTalk RFID is a platform for Independent Hardware Vendors to integrate their hardware innovations for developing RFID solutions based on Windows technology. It provides a set of API-s on Microsoft .NET Framework and allows to build custom RFID applications in the form of event-handlers. In general Microsoft RFID Services Framework provides powerful set of functions for Synchronous Communication with RFID devices, Asynchronous Event Processing, and Management operations. Sensor devices integrate with the BizTalk RFID through a Device Service Provider Interface (DSPI). This is similar to a device driver used to connect external devices like printer, mouse, etc.

The RFID sensors are exposed as devices to the BizTalk RFID and bind to different RFID processes to deliver data for processing. Physically these devices can be connected to any available Serial/USB/TCPIP port on the host computer where the DSPI runs with BizTalk RFID run-time engine.

Cognizant has been working on the BizTalk RFID to the extent of testing/evaluating DSPI layers for various RFID Readers which are readily available (like Alien, Symbol etc.) as default and developing new DSPI layers for readers which are not readily available (like Thing Magic, RFCode ). The RFID data is collected and stored in the SQL Server 2005 database. Cognizant has also grown competency on configuration and implementation of multiple reader instances, filters and rules to evaluate the various functionalities of BizTalk RFID.

Cognizant has developed and deployed real time Laptop/Asset Tracking Solution on RFID BizTalk Server. It works according to the Request/Response paradigm of the BizTalk DSPI format using asynchronous mode of operation. On the detection of RFID Gen2 Passive Tags attached to Laptop and the Laptop owner, the DSPI generate Tag Read Events. These events are handled by the Event Handler Process developed using the BizTalk Process template. The Event Handler Process facilitates the custom built in-memory tag validation processes for each tag (Employee and Asset) and generates valid/invalid status events. The event data is then uploaded to the private message queue for display and storage. It also sends GPIO (General Purpose Input Output) commands to the reader for visual indications in a Light Stack connected to the reader accordingly.

Cognizant is closely collaborating with Microsoft Biztalk RFID team to bring Customer focused solution for various verticals.

2. Oracle Edge Server

Sensor Edge Server (SES) is a middle tier component from Oracle that integrates sensors and other types of command or response indication equipment with business applications. Oracle SES enables enterprises to incorporate significant information received from sensor devices into business applications. Oracle SES receives the event data from sensor devices like RFID readers and then normalizes this data, filtering out excess information. The event data is then sent to business applications.

Cognizant’s RFID team has successfully implemented the Oracle SES to interface with various RFID Readers (like Alien, RFCode, and Thing Magic) and Printers (like Printronix) and dispatched the data to the Oracle 10g Database for permanent storage. Cognizant in Partnership with Oracle is building a solution around fixed and mobile asset Tracking.

3. SAP AII

SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure (SAP AII) gives enterprises the capabilities they need to integrate all automated communication and sensing devices – including RFID readers and printers, Bluetooth devices, embedded systems and bar-code devices. SAP AII senses and controls automated signals in real-time. It connects directly with business processes requiring signal data to drive faster and better business decisions.

SAP AII connects with the SAP enterprise system via XI in one side for the business integration and it talks to Different RFID Hardware using standard “Device controller” software.

Cognizant has developed te RFID Edge Controller which provides a framework facility to communicate with RFID enabled devices. RFID Edge Controller has an intelligent controller which interprets instructions coming form SAP AII to perform various RFID related operations like RFID Tag Reading & Writing, Tag Locking & Killing, Tag Commissioning, RFID tag printing alerting through light stack etc. Thus it enables Manufacturing, Logistics, Retail, Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare sectors implementation of SAP R3 automated with automatic data capturing capability of RFID devices.

Cognizant RFID Edge Controller is developed on the basis of event driven architecture and built on JAVA platform. The core features of this controller are Rule Injection, Content Based routing for RFID tags, RFID tag filtering, RFID device status monitoring, distributed deployable Device controller etc. The Solution is compatible with premier RFID Readers like Alien, ThingMagic, RFCode etc. and RFID printer like Printronix. It also provides Controller UI to configure, synchronize and monitor arrays of readers, printers and other RFID components locally as well as remotely across the network. It is highly scalable and suitable for implementation at enterprise level.

4. IBM RFID Edgeware/Middleware Servers

IBM WebSphere RFID Premises Server provides a robust and scalable middleware that is required to collect, filter and deliver RFID data read by RFID devices, create business events that use this RFID data and integrate the information with other enterprise applications. The Premises Server interprets high volumes of data from RFID devices connected through edge controller(s) to get a real-time visibility to RFID tagged pallets, cases and products.

WebSphere RFID Device Infrastructure (WRDI) and the RFID Tracking Toolkit constitute the edge platform and are being integrated in a number of smart readers and edge controllers. WRDI implements three-tier component based architecture, and is based on open standards like Java 2 Micro Edition, the OSGi (Open Services Gateway Initiative) Service Platform and Eclipse-based platform (WebSphere Studio Device Developer) for development.

We, in Cognizant, have successfully installed, configured and integrated the IBM RFID Stack with various end applications like RFID enabled Smart Shelf, ePedigree (Supply Chain Solution) and Asset Tracking. The Middleware and Edgeware have also been customized and used for RFID enabled outbound process (RFID tracking at dock doors in the shipping process) for a large logistics customer in the United States. We have also performed an extensive capacity planning exercise for determining the performance bottlenecks and scalability of the stack for a 70 dock door scenario with the help of Cognizant’s Proprietary RFModelerTM Environment.

Cognizant has set up multiple RFID Labs focusing on research and development of POCs, solution demonstrations and industrial testing. The lab is equipped with:

• Readers/tags from various Hardware Companies working at different frequencies & specifications
• Middleware from multiple Product companies
• Development Accelerating Tools like RF Analyzer, Simulator, Modeler
• Various Quick Start solutions like RFID enabled shipment verification, Smart shelves, Print, verify and Ship, Asset Tracking, Contactless payments, ePedigree, Handheld based Picking, Cold Chain Tracking, Serialization Solutions
• Capacity planning tools for large scale RFID implementation
• Physical test Environment like Conveyor, Dock Door

Whether requirements are driven by the complexity of internal systems, mandates from customers or vendors, regulatory compliance, Cognizant's dedicated RFID consulting group along with its custom framework and our global implementation capabilities can provide Customer a cost effective and reliable system to solve meet business needs. If you are confused on deciding whether RFID is right for your company or will meet your business needs, our Consulting team provides a proven process-driven methodology to provide a clear direction before you invest in technology. For details, contact us today.