Axcess Publishes White Paper on Automatic IT Asset Management
June 23, 2006
Axcess International Inc. released a white paper that details implementations of its ActiveTag long-range, battery-powered radio frequency identification (RFID) solution for economically and automatically managing and protecting IT assets. An Automated RFID Solution for Physical IT Asset Management and Protection outlines the solution applicable to data centers, record departments and enterprise operations where computer assets must be accounted for and protected to be in compliance with federal and state laws, which require notification to individuals if personal privacy data may have been compromised.
Two customer case studies are provided in the paper. One outlines the complete return on investment (ROI) calculation for an IT data center. The second describes a series of best practices used by a financial services firm to secure the facility, protect the IT assets and storage media and provide accountability for custodians with authorized access to the assets and private information.
The Axcess system addresses the problem of preventing theft or loss of personal records by offering:
- Individual asset tracking and protection.
- Dynamic wireless custodian assignments to assets.
- Complete reports.
- Wireless alerting to exception-based security events.
"For many years (computer asset theft and compromise incidents) existed and were seen growing, but studies also have indicated organizations were reluctant to notify affected individuals or authorities," said Allan Griebenow, president & CEO of Axcess International Inc. "Now, the notification is required even if damage will not occur. Our solution provides a management system, best practices and accountability so the losses are minimized and if they occur, the real damage can be understood and responded to accordingly. Our system prevents unnecessary notifications which can unnecessarily damage an institution's image and reputation."
Losses from the theft of proprietary data from corporations and other institutions more than doubled last year to a total of $356,000 per incident, according to Axcess. Only 43% of organizations who experienced those losses reported them citing a fear of the potential impact on their institution's stock price or image.
Axcess' battery powered RFID tags generate signals to enable metal encased computers to be identified even when hidden. When Axcess RFID asset tags are placed on fixed desktops, servers and storage devices as well as on mobile assets such as laptops, the tags are activated on-demand to transmit their ID at control points such as doorways.
Key to the system's accuracy is the localized tag activation field that uses the company's dual activator tag activation product that identifies assets at specific points. The dual activator determines whether an asset is in or out of a secured area. It delivers intelligence through which a security response can be determined and initiated.
The tags transmit to network-based receivers that pass the tag IDs to the Axcess software and database to record their location, who moved it and whether their movement is authorized.
Custodians such as computer administrators and authorized employees can also be tagged to provide an automatic, electronic custodial assignment for accountability and to freely move assets around the facility as needed without triggering an alarm. This process of Functional Linkage can be changed to facilitate the movement of assets without adversely impacting productivity.
Assets can also be regularly inventoried using beaconing transmissions. Alarms are automatically triggered if an asset leaves a controlled area without authorization. Doors can be automatically locked and wireless alerts are sent to security and responders to recover the asset before it leaves the premises. An Automated RFID Solution for Physical IT Asset Management and Protection can be downloaded at www.axcessinc.com.
Source: Axcess Inc.