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American Denver asset tracking platform provider Fluensee announced that network equipment manufacturing Juniper Networks now uses the company’s RFID asset tracking solution to track and process a variety of important IT assets around the world.
Juniper Networks is a California network equipment and solution manufacturer, and its products support a variety of applications and software for enterprise users. Juniper first partnered with Fluensee in 2009 to use active RFID tags to track high-value assets in its Internal Product Group (IPG) division, which is responsible for developing and testing new network products. The company later attached passive labels to the circuit boards of the prototype products. Now, the company is beginning to attach passive tags to servers, laptops, and other IT assets in its data centers around the world.
Fluensee uses a mixture of active and passive RFID technology to track a total of 40,000 items, and uses Fluensee’s Web-based AssetTrack software platform to track and manage assets.
“Juniper is a fast-growing company in the network infrastructure industry” Fluensee CEO and Chairman Tim Harvie said. The company hopes to protect prototype circuit boards, laboratory equipment and IT assets to achieve tracking and maximize utilization.
Thanks to the adoption of this asset tracking system, Juniper has reduced the time for asset locating and at the same time increased the utilization rate. The RFID system also helps the company closely control the circuit boards of new products, ensuring that the test equipment used in designing new products is maintained and calibrated in good condition, Harvie said.
Confidex Steelwave Micro label
Metalcraft Passive EPC Gen 2 Folded Tab Label
Juniper’s first RFID tracking devices were oscilloscopes, analyzers, signal generators, and other internal Product Group equipment to test the performance of electronic and network equipment. “This type of equipment is very expensive-a single test device can cost as much as $40,000,” Harvie said. Juniper applies RF Code active tags to these high-value assets, and uses AssetTrack software to determine their locations based on data collected by RF Code readers throughout the factory. The operating frequency of the RF Code tag is 433 MHz, the RF Code proprietary air protocol is adopted, and the detection distance can reach 1,000 feet.
Next, the Juniper IPG department affixed passive RFID tags to the circuit board to achieve fast and accurate inventory counts and track them during the product development cycle. The tag uses Confidex’s Steelwave Micro tag, which is designed to track small, multi-metal assets. The tag complies with the ISO 18000-6c (EPC Gen 2) standard and has a reading distance of up to 13 feet, according to Confidex. Steelwave tags can also be used to track IT assets such as servers and PCs.
Juniper uses Motorola’s handheld MC9090-G reader to perform periodic inventory of assets with passive tags. AssetTrack software stores tag data and corresponds to asset-related data in the database.
IPG uses this system to track the company’s 33,000 test equipment, circuit boards, prototype products and IT assets at its Westford, Bangalore and Sunnyvale plants.
Recently, Juniper has decided to use RFID technology in data centers in Bangalore, London, Hong Kong, Sunnyvale, Westford and Cambridge. Harvie said that so far, the company has labeled 6,500 assets in all data centers on blade servers. Stick the Confidex Steelwave Micro label, and stick the Metalcraft passive EPC Gen 2 Folded Tab label on other racks. The metal casing of the inlay and IT equipment provides an air buffer, reducing RF interference between tags, making it easier to read. In the Juniper data center, an Alien Technology RFID reader installed near the door reads the unique ID code of the RFID tag when IT assets enter and exit the room. The reader collects these data, and if it detects that an asset is not in its designated location, the AssetTrack software sends an alert to Juniper members.
Juniper also uses Motorola’s MC9090-G handheld to perform regular IT asset inventory. The data is stored in AssetTrack software.
Harvie said that before installing RFID, Juniper had used a mixture of barcodes and manual tracking methods to identify the signs on important assets.
“Our customers are beginning to realize that asset management involves all aspects of their business, such as tracking equipment, personnel, and other assets,” Harvie said. “Juniper leads the industry in this application.”
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