Balluff RFID Embraces the Cloud

One of the biggest advantages of using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in industry and logistics today is the visibility it can provide into the process. With the use of cloud computing, that visibility can be achieved with greater flexibility and lower cost.

RFID with cloud computing leverages shared IT infrastructure and standard software to collect and present tracking data without having to develop, maintain and most importantly, finance a redundant and load balanced infrastructure internally. Cloud applications also provide visibility and access anytime, anywhere, and on any web-enabled device.

By using cloud computing from Balluff (Florence, KY) and provider partners like iGear (Louisville, KY), the burden and cost of the IT infrastructure can be greatly reduced or even eliminated. “Manufacturers are moving their applications to secure cloud environments. While quality and productivity applications are becoming more mandatory, the capital and labor to build and maintain these systems are becoming scarcer. The cloud has emerged as the optimal solution,” explains Mark Doyle, the vice president of sales at IGear Online.

For example, building an on-premise application for a single machine or work cell would typically require an upfront investment of $30,000 for hardware, software, and integration services. The ongoing cost of support and maintenance requires an additional $10,000 investment. Additional challenges with on-premise applications include remote access and keeping up with the latest devices and web browser development.

In contrast, a comparable cloud application would involve an annual subscription of $1000 with the potential need for one-time configuration services of $10,000; a savings over $20,000 the first year and as much as $9,000 every year thereafter. With cloud applications, updates and enhancements are instantly rolled out to all users and the infrastructure is secure, redundant, and load balanced. Using RFID integrated with cloud computing provides cutting edge visibility and visualization of your data while significantly lowering the cost of ownership.

www.igearonline.com, www.balluff.com