Improve server identification efficiency and security.
On-metal NFC labels with secure, layered data access.
Optimised data centre interventions with enhanced security.
A full-service ICT infrastructure provider optimizes equipment intervention and audit efficiency with on-metal NFC labels.
Challenge: Flexible and secured server identification
A large ICT infrastructure provider needed a flexible and secure server identification solution to maximize equipment intervention and audit efficiency while maintaining physical server location flexibility. In addition, both in-house professionals and external partners needed to be able to identify specific servers to various degrees.
Solution: On-metal NFC labels printable on-site
Brady proposed on-metal RFID labels with embedded Near Field Communication (NFC) chips and a print & program solution with custom-developed Brady software.
The on-metal RFID NFC labels enable Near Field Communication (NFC) with the latest smartphones or tablets in close proximity, even when applied to metal surfaces. Brady pre-programmed the chips to include two layers of information: a top layer accessible to in-house professionals and external contractors, and a deep security layer hidden from all except in-house administrators. Only authorized professionals performing maintenance interventions can access label chip layers with RFID pens linked to their user setup. Each NFC label also includes a human-readable code on every NFC label.
Brady developed a custom Windows 10 touchscreen software app for the customer’s tablets to enable chip reading with RFID pens. The customer can easily set up a user or admin, and provide them with the tools to perform a server intervention while safeguarding identification data security for other servers in the rack or data center room.
Brady also supplied a print & program solution to create additional labels in the data centre or rewrite label chips in the event of server relocations. Label chip rewrites require administrator access, a tablet, and an RFID pen, with changes limited to predefined data sets needed for server relocation.
Results: Double-layered, secured flexible rack identification
Intervention efficiency and security in the customer’s data centers have been optimized with on-metal RFID NFC labels. ake this title case: Labels can be printed and programmed on-site or reprogrammed for server relocations. Each label offers a human-readable code and a secured, layered NFC signal, accessible with preprogrammed tablets and RFID pens linked to user or admin profiles.