Why should companies concentrate on mobile app development

An analysis reveals that almost ninety percent of mobile phone time is now devoted to using apps, which should be a great eye opener for anyone only just considering mobile app development for their business. People spend more time looking at their mobile phones than watching television. Having a website alone for your business is no longer sufficient. Customers are looking for simplicity and focus that apps provide, rather than the variety in websites and especially use apps on-the-go.

Smart phone apps have become an important marketing tool for companies. Mobile apps have become an important part in the business world. Mobile apps have allowed consumers to place order, provide reviews and provide other services to their clients.

Mobile apps provide companies the potential to engage with customers in real-time. It provides customers the mobility to do the same things they would do sitting at the desk. Companies in service industry could make their customer’s life easier by offering customers a mobile app. This is a value add to your existing customer service.                                                                   

Mobile app promotes and popularizes your business in a better and precise way. Mobile app creates a Direct Marketing Channel, brand awareness and recognition, improves customer engagement and helps gather additional customer information. It improves business and sales, helps companies stand out from the competition.

Customers love receiving coupons and offers, but cutting them out of newspapers or flyers is old school. Today an app is the best way to provide mobile coupon that easy to access and redeem.

Why spend your time on app development,instead focus on your core competencies to grow your business? With the change in how people interact and search for businesses, change your way to attract and retain customers!

RUFUtech is a leader in application software development with solutions targeting Cloud infrastructure and mobile space via iOS, Android, Windows Phone Apps.

We would love to help you with your software App development needs!

How can RFID Technology and RFID Software improve your event management?

RFID technology and RFID software has the potential to take your event management to the next level and helps you tap huge opportunities that would be otherwise missed. As the technology is rapidly becoming more affordable, there is one less reason not to adopt RFID for your event management. So why should you adopt it?

•  RFID Saves Time - Long lines?  No one enjoys waiting in lines. Guests are issued wristband or  badge with embedded RFID tag, which speeds up visitor movement at the event entrance or other specified zones. RFID handhelds or door readers capture the visitor’s badge at the entrance as well as in other areas automatically and in fraction of seconds. The data is then processed by the RFID Software, which allows automatic tracking and for instance an access to zones within the event (like VIP area, employee area, assigned seating, etc.). Automated area or facility entry & exit helps cut down staff required for the event and tracks visitor movement throughout.
• Real time insights: Improve your event with real-time insights. RFID gives you immediate insight into length of stay, peak time, traffic flow, capacity, population segmentation, real-time counts, hotspots, etc.
• Eliminate fraud: RFID enabled tickets also reduce counterfeit tickets, due to easy authentication and alerts on duplicates.
• Supports direct marketing activities: Advanced or on the spot registration enables database development. Using RFID technology exact record of who went to which part of the event, time spent at each activity, actions performed and other data is readily available. This allows companies to target the attendees with opportunities and products they would find interesting and useful.
• Go cashless: Attendees can add their payment information to their RFID tag before the event, making it easier than ever to buy. Potential for cashless payment to increase speed of checkouts.

RFID-based event management provides a comprehensive tracking system to monitor the movement of attendees at every critical point of the event utilizing RFID tags, RFID readers and RFID Software customized and optimized for event management application.  

RUFUtech Systems has an expertise in software development and integration of RFID technology. We would love to help you with your RFID software needs!

Outsourced software development

Outsourced software development is your gateway of success and helps you to deliver projects in limited time. Market competition has forced companies to constantly improve their competitive edge as well as provide great customer service. Customer satisfaction is a key factor for any successful business. Why recruit a software team and develop software if software development is not your core business area. Developing and delivering software with a new team within limited timespan can turn your project to be a nightmare. Outsourced software development has proven to be a great success for companies worldwide.

 Here are few of the top reasons why outsourcing makes sense.

1.      Cost Savings: Outsourced software development eliminates the burden of upfront investment. It helps to reduce your internal costs and thus allowing your company to focus on its core competencies.

2.      Time Savings: You can avoid the time spent in recruiting, hiring, training employees. With outsourced software development you can get your product to market more quickly.

3.      Enhanced Accuracy: Offshore development improves work accuracy in terms of given deadlines on a project.

4.      Easier access and availability of developers: You have an immediate access to a large groups of industry talents.

5.      Risk Mitigation: You can mitigate risks by choosing an outsourcing firm that has a high-quality project management system and following proper systems and processes for developing application.

6.      Dedicated Resources: Our team is assigned and dedicated to you meet your explicit software development needs.

7.      Committed to Quality: During the development process our team works closely with your in house team ensure that finished products are delivered with full functionalities to meet your needs.

In present-day competitive environment outsourced software development provides significant reduction of development time and, thus, speed-to-market becomes invaluable advantage.

We at RUFUtech offer cost effective software development outsourcing services. We would love to help you with your software development needs!

What is RFID?

RFID is an Auto-ID technology that enables unique identification of assets, various objects or people. RFID has been around for more than 50 years. Did you know that the technology was first used in World War II to identify enemy aircraft?

A RFID system uses radio waves to transmit data. The basic components for an RFID system to be functional are tags, readers and host software system. RFID Tag is affixed on to the object to be identified and transmits the identity of the object over a certain distance to the reader. The distance at which tags can be read by a reader vary from few centimetres to few metres and depend on the environment the system operates (signal reflections and absorption negatively affect the read distance), type of the tag and the communication technology it uses (passive tags have no battery and use passive backscatter, which allows only for communication over several meters; on the other hand, active tags have battery and its own transmitter and therefore can communicate over hundreds of meters), country regulations (that affect reader transmitted power), signal loss over an antenna cable and many other factors. RFID tags are available in various form factors, tags are selected based on the application and the type of object that needs to be identified.

The great advantage of RFID technology over barcode is that it helps users identify an item uniquely without line of sight. Many items can be identified simultaneously.

RFID is an essential building block for the IOT (Internet of Things), providing the ability to track people and the objects. Many organizations see RFID as a potential technology to improve their existing business processes such as improved productivity, improved security and increased revenues.

RFID technology is now being deployed across verticals - corporate, educational, government, automotive, logistics and supply chain, manufacturing, retail, healthcare and Pharmaceuticals, aerospace and defence. RFID increases efficiency of operations, while in turn reducing the operational cost, improving asset visibility and traceability and reduces manual processes.

RUFUtech Systems has an expertise in software development and integration of RFID technology. We would love to help you with your RFID needs!

Asset Management Software for Uniform and Laundry Tracking

RFID Technology’s primary application and use is management of assets and what makes the solution work is a sophisticated Asset Management Software. Assets can include anything, including products, uniforms, machinery, vehicles, all the way to people. Even though all of these assets can be tagged using RFID tags and data collected by RFID readers, here is where most of the similarity ends. This is because all of these assets are so different and are managed in much different way. There will be a specific process for management of stationary assets and mobile assets, assets within the facility, assets going to vendors, customers or employees and back. Some assets will be tracked for maintenance purposes, certification or inventory, some for security or efficiency. This makes requirements for every asset management software unique and there arises a need for custom solution.

One of quite complex solutions is managing uniforms, for instance in military or hospitality environment. Because of the uniform inventory is usually large and each garment has a multi-stage lifecycle from purchasing through daily use, cleaning, and dispensing to personnel, all the way to final disposal, it requires a comprehensive asset management software system within the company. Such system should be also cloud-based for easier deployment within large facility or multiple locations and possibly interoperable if the cleaning or laundering is being outsourced.

The asset management software gathers data from the RFID readers placed within various points throughout the items life-cycle. For processing items one or few at a time, handheld readers or smart tables are used, for bulk processing dock door or portal readers are the best choice. Each garment has an RFID tag attached or sewn in after it is purchased and subsequently, the information about the item is entered into the inventory including the tag’s unique ID. As the uniform moves to the storage location, gets dispensed to the employees, gets picked up after use and sent for laundering, the inventory system updates the item’s status and location.

We at RUFUtech have developed several similar asset management software systems that help manage large amounts of inventory and provide real-time visibility, which saves on purchasing items that are misplaced, forgotten or hard to locate and increases efficiency of laundry, pickup, dispensation and order processing. 

Access Control Software | RFID

5 New Functions of RFID Access Control Software You Could Implement Right Now

Not only can Access Control Software using RFID or other AIDC technology significantly increase facility security, provide access efficiency and produce real-time visibility, it also safety, manages time and attendance, handles attendees at events and conferences, collects marketing data and provides other benefits that increase customer satisfaction. Let’s review the new functions of the access control system in detail.

1.      Emergency Management

While the personnel and visitors are issued RFID cards to enter and exit facility, by deploying more read points in key areas and adding a few functions to your access control software, you can turn your basic access control system into emergency management system.

2.      Time and Attendance

Since the access control software logs times in and out, you can add a simple functionality by calculating number of hours spent on-site.

3.      Event Management

RFID tags in tickets, badges or cards can be used to gain entry into an event but also to gain entry into specific areas like for instance VIP visitor only area. The same card can be also used for cashless/credit-less payment at concessions.

4.      Marketing

When using RFID technology for access control Software, you can easily extend the system to help you gather data that supports direct marketing activities and lead generation product sales.

5.   Safety

Another type of access control system can be deployed in mental health institutions, drug rehabilitation centers or facilities for the elderly, where it is important to make sure that patients don’t wander off, on purpose or accidentally. The same tag can be used to verify the identity of a patient for correct drug or meal dispensing, allowed activities due to health, all for the safety of patients.

As you can see there are plenty of ways to utilize your access control system more than you originally thought. If you are intrigued and would like to see how your access control software can be supplemented for additional functions, contact us! You can view the whole article here.

RFID Software

RFID Software is a software that helps integrate the RFID technology into the client’s business to increase operational efficiency, decrease cost, reduce errors or increase safety. The RFID Software fulfills several functions. It manages the flow of data between RFID readers and enterprise applications including data quality, data filtering, data aggregation; and provides tools for device management as well as business logic configuration. RFID software also provides a user interface with actionable information in form of dashboards, reports, lists and alerts.

We have developed RFID software for applications in supply chain management, asset management, manufacturing, event management, access control, inventory tracking, safety and emergency management and many others. Even though the basic logic behind reading RFID tag data, filtering it, aggregating it and showing it in an organized and actionable manner is essentially the same for all the applications, the difference is in client requirements for the particular system function and what they want to see within the application interface. Because the solutions are not one size fits all, great care has to be taken in listening to the customer and designing the application that fulfills all their requirements and solves their business challenges.

For example, one of our client’s challenges was the lack of visibility of surgical kits during their processing as they go through receiving, sterilization, counting, refilling, labeling, storage and shipping back to the customer. Their existing barcode system was cumbersome and inefficient and they asked us to design an RFID software application that would help them integrate RFID technology and provide real-time visibility of all the kits and their status at every stage in the process. What was unique about this RFID software application were the several levels of auditing (control and verification) and management of in demand as well as expired items. The application also provided various dashboards, alerts and notifications, reports and order processing capabilities, while expediting the kit processing, eliminating errors and increasing their customer satisfaction.

To find out more about RFID software and other applications we developed for your clients, visit us at www.rufutech.com. 

RFID Middleware and EPCglobal Standards

AIDC device integration such as that of RFID or NFC readers and printers into the new RFID system and existing IT Enterprise Systems can be challenging, especially due to large amounts of data and considerations like reader management, air interface control, network utilization and information exchange.

Fortunately, middleware for RFID and NFC technology has been governed by a myriad of standards that help unify the technology interfaces for easier handling and integration into the automatic identification systems.

For instance, the EPCglobal community that includes many technology vendors and end users that design and deploy the RFID technology and develop RFID Middleware, has developed specifications that standardize the interfaces between RFID tags, RFID readers and enterprise systems.  There are four main standards: Low Level Reader Protocol (LLRP), Discovery Configuration and Initialization (DCI), Reader Management (RM) and Application Level Event (ALE) Standard.

The LLRP Standard specifies an interface between RFID Readers and Clients. This protocol is called a low-level protocol because it controls the RFID air protocol operation timing as well as the access to air protocol command parameters.

The DCI Standard specifies an interface between RFID Readers and Access Controllers and the network on which they operate. The standard is aimed to specify the the operations of a Reader and Client that allow them to utilize the network to which they are connected to communicate with other devices, exchange configuration information, and initialize the operation of each Reader.

The current RM Standard describes the wire protocol used by management software to monitor the operating status and health of EPCglobal compliant RFID Readers. The Reader Management Protocol specifies the interaction between a device capable of interfacing with tags, and management software.

The ALE Standard specifies a means for clients to specify, in a high-level, declarative way, what electronic product code (EPC) data they are interested in, without dictating an implementation. It provides a standardized format for reporting accumulated, filtered EPC data that is largely independent of where the EPC data originated or how it was processed.

For more information about these standards, visit www.gs1.org or check back on our website www.rufutech.com as we will be going into more details in future blog posts!

Mobile Apps Importance is Constantly Increasing

More and more we are turning from personal desktop computers and laptops to portable smartphones and mobile tablets (e.g. iPads) to search for information or entertainment and to study and work. Every part of these activities is getting more and more integrated with the Internet and cloud, which is enabled by new capabilities in distributed computing.

For example, smartphone use is forecasted to grow three times to over 6.1 billion smartphones worldwide by 2020 from approximately above 2.5 billion in 2015. This means, almost every person on a planet will have a smartphone. Today about 60% of the searches for information are carried out from smartphones and this is forecasted to grow to almost 90% in the next two years. Time spent on mobile devices have already surpassed the desktops or laptops.

Source: eMarketer 9/14 and 5/15

The mobile expansion has provided a large opportunity for companies of any size to gain access to their existing or potential clients and having an always open link of communication that allows to provide real-time notifications that could include running marketing campaigns, customer loyalty initiatives, inventory clearance sales, reminders, driving directions, one-touch calling and other functions.

To take advantage of these opportunities, companies have to undertake an app development and make their app available in mobile marketplaces for iOS (App Store), Android (Play Store) and Windows (Windows Store).

Bringing a well-designed, professional looking App to marketplace and making it available for customers to download is somewhat tedious and time consuming process and it takes a dedicated team of highly trained professionals to successfully complete such projects right from conception to Go Live.

This can be achieved by working with a team of highly experienced professionals who are seasoned business analysts, experienced Software Solution Architects, mature and expert app developers with leading edge expertise in software design and app development and passionate professional service engineers to provide ongoing support for maintenance and upgrade of live production apps.

Obvious choice for many businesses is to take advantage of services provided by dedicated software development companies and give their 100% focus on their core competencies to grow their business.

RUFUtech is a leader in application software development with solutions targeting Cloud infrastructure and mobile space via iOS, Android, Windows Phone Apps.

We would love to help you with your software App development needs!

Auto id

Applications integrating Auto-ID (Automatic Identification Technology), such as RFID, NFC and barcode are often used for supply chain management, inventory control, asset management, personnel management and safety and many other applications. Anywhere high volume of items gets processed, changes locations, gets received, shipped and stored. Auto ID technology has been in use for years and its importance rises as the Internet of Things expands. The applications within the IoT use RFID and NFC, sensors, the Cloud and the Internet to automate operations and increase efficiency.

However, the Auto-ID technologies provide raw data that must be properly translated for use by the ERP systems and standard device drivers and middleware often fail to do this seamlessly. Therefore, it is always a good idea to use a customized software application built by experienced team of developers that specializes in RFID and Auto-ID technology integration rather than a generic software development firm.

Auto-ID technology started with use of barcodes that have become very quickly a very popular method of tracking. Barcode labels are inexpensive, they do not contain any technology, only a label with adhesive and a printed barcode that can be easily generated by a simple application. Depending on the specific barcode type, 1D barcodes can have from 20-25 characters while 2D codes can go up to 2,000 characters. The main practical concern is that as you increase the amount of information in the barcode the bigger it will become. This is especially the case with 1D barcodes and therefore it is usually encoded only with 8 – 15 characters carrying an SKU (Stock Keeping Unit). In addition, you need a line of sight and specific orientation to read a barcode, which is impractical in high volume operations. This has become the claim to fame of RFID technology, that it can read tags in distances of few feet to hundreds of feet, without the line of sight and in high volumes. However, the tags are more expensive in comparison as they include chip and antenna and therefore are usually justified for higher value items, cases, pallets and returnable assets.

RUFUtech develops software applications that use Auto-ID technologies for deployment in industries such as healthcare, pharma, manufacturing, retail, government, event management, agriculture, construction, wearables and others. Let us know if we can help you with your application!

inventory management software

Traditional Inventory Management Systems utilize barcode technology that produces limited amounts of data (barcode has only so many characters) and the data capture is a labor intensive proposition. Such systems are often local and are not set up to perform real-time item identification and tracking, while handling all data, item and tag attributes provided by the RFID and sensor technology.

The new generation of InventoryManagement Software performs full inventory control utilizing a combination of technologies including RFID tags, RFID readers, barcodes, sensors, Wi-Fi networks and the Internet. In addition, the system software provides the capability to categorize and track individual items throughout its supply chain over the Cloud using desktop applications, Internet browsers and/or mobile apps.

Inventory management software should provide the following functions:

•   Product Receiving, Inventory Update and Verification upon Receiving.

•   Tracking of product movement in transit between vendor, distribution center and store, or between warehouse locations.

•   Put away within multiple warehouses, multiple locations, all the way to row, bin and isle.

•   Order Management that includes order receiving, order processing, order balancing, shipment review & authorization, and order confirmation.

•   Picking including prioritized pick lists, order fulfillment, and item location.

•   Shipment staging and truck loading

•   Shipment tracking and carrier tracking

•   Physical inventory item counting and location

•   Multiple dashboards and comprehensive reporting

•   Alerts on errors, incomplete orders or picklists

•   Alerts and reports sent to e-mail or text automatically or manually

•   Inventory, list and report exports to CSV, XLS or PDF.

•   RFID tag commissioning (tag assignment to particular item) and label printing (RFID label with printed barcode and item, order or case information)

•   RFID device management including reader or printer configuration

We have developed several inventorymanagement software applications for clients in healthcare, manufacturing, military, agriculture and other industries that provide real-time visibility of their inventory and help manage inventory handling, location and movement to increase efficiency, revenues and customer satisfaction. Let us know how we can help you manage your inventory!