Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., March 9, 2005

Six organizations at the forefront of the radio frequency identification (RFID) market are working with the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) to develop a vendor-neutral certification in the technology, the association announced today.

Organizations working with CompTIA to develop the RFID certification include:

• The Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM Global), the worldwide authority on automatic identification;
• FC Business Systems, a provider of end-to-end RFID integration services, specializing in in-transit visibility of the supply chain
• Intermec Technologies Corporation, a global leader in the development, manufacture and integration of RFID technologies, including Intellitag® Gen2, wired and wireless automated data collection, mobile computing systems, bar code printers and label media
• OTA Training, a provider of in-depth, relevant and practical RFID training
• ScanSource, Inc., a value-added distributor of specialty technologies in North America, Latin America and Europe
• Texas Instruments Incorporated, a provider of innovative digital signal processing and analog technologies to meet customers’ real world signal processing needs, and the world’s largest integrated manufacturer of RFID transponders and reader systems.

“The organizations announced today as participants in the certification initiative represent the full range of players in the RFID market, from product manufacturers and distributors to education and training providers to the end-user,” said David Sommer, vice president, electronic commerce, CompTIA. “This cross-section of industry representation assures that the certification of RFID skills will address the hardware, software and business process needs created by RFID.”

Upwards of 60,000 businesses are facing RFID usage mandates from their trading partners in the next several years. But a dearth of qualified RFID integrators has slowed adoption of the technology for many companies. Organizations also are challenged because many of the skills required for successful RFID implementations are not typically associated with information technology (IT) staffs.

Creating a vendor-neutral certification that provides a standard method of measuring competencies in the technologies in use today and planned for tomorrow will deliver benefits to the entire industry. In some instances, the benefits will be come in the form of lower costs for activities such as training, recruiting and hiring. A certification that validates technical skills and on-the-job experience also has the potential to help grow the RFID market; and help minimize the impact of the “disenchantment valley” that often is part of the adoption curve for new technologies.

“Organizations can more readily determine the ability of their business partners to deliver RFID solutions through the use of an industry accepted certification,” Sommer explained. “Customers will have more confidence in working with solutions providers with demonstrated and validated expertise in RFID. The industry as a whole will be better equipped to deliver more RFID implementations, producing more revenue for individual companies using the certification.”

CompTIA certification programs are the recognized industry standards for a broad range of IT skills. The association currently offers 11 vendor-neutral certifications. Approximately 700,000 IT professionals around the world hold CompTIA certifications, which validate technical expertise.

About CompTIA

CompTIA is a global trade association representing the business interests of the information technology industry. For more than 23 years CompTIA has provided research, networking and partnering opportunities to its 20,000 members in 102 countries. The association is involved in developing standards and best practices, and influencing the political, economic and educational arenas that impact IT worldwide. More information is at www.comptia.org.

Contact:

Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
+1 (630) 678 8468
sostrowski@comptia.org