How to

Choose an
RFID Solution
Provider
FOUR EASY STEPS TO GET STARTED

1 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER

 Table of Contents

03 Introduction

04 Step 1: Define Your Need

07 Step 2: Review Case Studies

and Solution Briefs

09 Step 3: Define Your Team

12 Step 4: Consult with a RAIN

RFID Platform Provider

2 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER

 Introduction

Choosing the right RAIN RFID solution provider to help solve

your business needs may seem daunting, and no doubt many
questions will arise throughout the vetting process. Questions
like how do I integrate a solution into my current infrastructure,
do I need custom software, and where can I find a solution
provider that understands both RAIN RFID and my specific
business or industry?

By carefully evaluating your project needs, choosing the best

hardware for your application and partnering with the right
solution provider, a full deployment can be easily accomplished.

This e-book outlines four steps businesses should take when

choosing a RAIN RFID solution provider.

3 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER

 Step 1

Define
Your Need

4 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER

 WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Clearly defining and documenting your business needs, both

short- and long-term, before choosing a solution provider
ensures that the solution will actually solve your needs. As part
of this discovery process, identify your business problems and
the types of data you need to collect—and who needs access
to that data. Will the data be consumed only by your facility or
will other locations or supply chain partners need access to
the data? Will you use the data to only update your inventory
system or will the merchandising team also use the data to
guide product decisions?

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Once you’ve identified your business problems and the

types of data you need to collect, you can begin researching
products and solutions for your deployment. For businesses
in industries with broad application needs (from inventory
management to customer experience) like retail and
healthcare, it’s important to develop your solution based on a
RAIN RFID platform – a set of hardware and software products
that support multiple hardware configurations, data collection
options and solutions, as well as flexibility and scalability as
additional application development occurs.

5 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER | STEP 1

 For example, retailers looking to increase their inventory
accuracy may initially integrate an inventory intelligence
solution, but could have long-term needs that require
extending capabilities to other applications like interactive
customer experiences or loss prevention systems. Similarly,
a hospital could initially choose a solution built on a RAIN
RFID platform to decrease costs by enabling inventory
tracking, but could leverage that infrastructure in the future
to enable staff locationing and improve patient queuing and
flow throughout the facility.

LOOK INTO THE FUTURE

When choosing a scalable solution, it’s important to note

that the data collected in one application may be used in
another future application, further cementing the need to
develop all applications on a compatible product platform.

Once business needs have been clearly defined, obtain

buy-in at the executive level on the project scope to
efficiently move forward.

6 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER | STEP 1

 Step 2

Review Case
Studies and
Solution Briefs

7 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER

 REAL-LIFE DEPLOYMENTS

With business needs clearly defined, begin reviewing case

studies and solution briefs to identify the types of solutions
deployed in your industry. Case studies and solution briefs also
give insight into the benefits of choosing a RAIN RFID platform,
which can help strengthen a deployment business case.
Reviewing these documents will also help narrow down what
kind of solution should be deployed, and help you to understand
the types of hardware and software that will be needed in both
current and future integrations.

FIND CASE STUDIES

A simple Google search is a great way to

start. There are online publications like
RFID Journal and RFID 24-7 that provide
countless articles on solution providers and
customer success stories. Many RAIN RFID
platform providers, like Impinj, also have
resource centers filled with case studies
and solution briefs that highlight solution
providers. Industry analysts like ChainLink
and IDTechEx are another great source of
information, and can provide insight into
market and implementation strategy.

8 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER | STEP 2

 Step 3

Define
Your Team

9 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER

 FILL THE GAP

By assessing the skillset of your team, you can begin to identify

what gaps will need to be filled, either by a solution provider or
outside help like a consultant.

ASK QUESTIONS

Start by asking yourself the following questions:

Will I need help with installation and service?

Do I need a proof of concept installation to prove

the solution, or am I ready to move to a pilot or
full deployment?

Do I want software in a box, on-going software support,

or custom development work?

Would hiring a consultant help identify further needs?

Consultants offer a variety of services including needs
analysis, ROI calculations, site surveys, proof of concept
and pilot designs, and more.

10 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER | STEP 3

 BUILD YOUR TEAM

Your team should consist of people that provide the skills

of program managers, business analysts, IT specialists and
software developers. The skills on your team will help dictate
the solution provider you choose. For example, if your team has
strong software skills, you might hire a solution provider with
strong RF engineering skills to evaluate tag suppliers and install
RAIN readers. But if you need software integration support, you
may choose to hire a provider that can integrate RAIN platform
middleware with existing backend systems, as well as identify
the proper RF components.

11 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER | STEP 3

 Step 4

Consult with
a RAIN Platform
Provider

12 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER

 A PLATFORM FOR ALL SOLUTIONS

By choosing to develop your solution on a RAIN RFID platform,

rather than a piecemeal set of products, you can deploy a
solution, at once or over time, consisting of multiple applications
built on one infrastructure. For example, in retail you may start
with an application providing improved inventory accuracy, then
add a loss prevention application later using the same RAIN
RFID data. And, as your solution needs evolve and deployment
requirements change, a platform allows the flexibility to change
solution providers.

Besides compatibility, scalability and flexibility, using a platform

also allows for data sharing across applications and throughout
an organization. A RAIN RFID platform allows all applications in a
solution to feed data from all read points into a backend system.
With shared data, the types of applications you can build and
processes you can improve are endless.

13 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER | STEP 4

 Impinj is the leading provider of RAIN RFID technology,
and offers the only integrated set of hardware, software
and application interfaces. This platform delivers superior
performance, platform interoperability, and the best reliability
and data integrity across every element. Impinj has a strong
partner network of solution providers – both system integrators
and independent software vendors - that have been vetted as
RAIN RFID technology and industry experts.

Ready to find the

solution provider that’s
right for you?
Our team of experts can help.

REQUEST AN APPLICATION
CONSULTATION

WWW.IMPINJ.COM

14 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RFID SOLUTION PROVIDER | STEP 4