Page 16 - GS161201
P. 16
News
access to personally identifiable information (PII); Allied Business Intelligence Inc. research
only 13 percent said contractors can access PII. suggested as many as 36.4 billion devices will
Findings show retailers are limiting access to their be connected to the Internet by 2020, making
most sensitive data.
NFC tags a timely solution for a range of
Downloadable copies of the 2016 Pre-Holiday Retail Cyber applications and sensing methods.
Risk Report and the 2015 Pre-Holiday Retail Risk Report
are available at: http://baydynamics.com/resources/2016- Allied Business Intelligence Inc. research suggested as
pre-holiday-cyber-risk-report/ and https://baydynamics.com/ many as 36.4 billion devices will be connected to the
resources/pre-holiday-retail-risk-report/, respectively. Internet by 2020, making NFC tags a timely solution for
a range of applications and sensing methods. Analysts
NFC tag certification expect consumer adoption of mobile technologies to
benefit the NFC market.
program targets IoT
NFC technology uses antenna-equipped microchips to
W akefield, Mass.-based NFC Forum intro- store and retrieve information on NFC-enabled devices.
duced a tag certification program in Their compact size and low costs ideally position NFC
November 2016. It is a global initiative tags to serve as passive conduits on a range of media,
aimed at defining common operability and including posters, magazines, audio accessories and
compliance parameters for a diverse group of near field household appliances, according to the NFC Forum. NFC
communication (NFC) tag applications. Two working tags can also be used in fixed and mobile applications such
groups within the forum will manage the program; as ticketing, mobile marketing, access control and public
The Internet of Things Special Interest Group (SIG) and transportation.
Compliance Committee are soliciting guidance from exist-
ing and prospective NFC Forum members in the wide- NFC coexists with other technologies such as Bluetooth
ranging initiative, the forum stated. LE and radio frequency identification (RFID); finding the
right technology fit depends on use cases, Hunter stated.
Paula Hunter, Executive Director at the NFC Forum, For example, low-cost RFID tags may be appropriate for
emphasized a need for interoperability in the increasingly disposable products; NFC is useful for more complex
complex Internet of Things (IoT). Establishing standard applications that require authentication. Decisions are
certification guidelines for the most commonly used usually based on price, proximity and security, she said.
NFC tags will help tag-issuing organizations achieve
compliance while delivering a consistent user experience, Comments, ideas welcome
she said.
Hunter expects the NFC tag certification program will
Hunter noted that the initiative was favorably received expedite NFC product adoption by lowering related
at the Forum's October 2016 meeting in Vienna. "It bears costs and simplifying NFC integration with third-party
mentioning that our Technology Committee wrote the technology providers. "This approach will ensure a
specs for NFC tags; 1 through 4 have been released; 5 is consistent user experience in every retail shop in the
coming on board," she stated, during an interview with world, while accounting for all the variables that occur in
The Green Sheet. "While most standards organizations the market," she said.
want everything tight and complete before announcing,
we want the support and buy in of all who will benefit Koichi Tagawa, NFC Forum Chairman, has observed
from a firm set of requirements and streamlined, relevant expanding adoption of NFC throughout the world.
standards." "Innovative tag applications are growing as NFC
experiences increased market adoption across the majority
Broadly applicable technology of mobile device OEMs and operating systems," he said.
In addition to developing specifications for NFC The NFC Forum's Internet of Things Special Interest
technology, the NFC Forum has been focused on driving Group and Compliance Committee are reaching out to
adoption by educating the market about NFC's many uses. the entire NFC supply chain, soliciting organizations to
Global forum member companies include Apple Inc., become members of the NFC Forum and contribute to the
Broadcom Corp., Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd., Google NFC tag certification and compliance program.
Inc., Intel Corp., Mastercard, NXP Semiconductors N.V.,
Qualcomm Technologies Inc., Samsung Corp., Sony Corp., As part of its membership drive, the forum has introduced
STMicroelectronics and Visa Inc. lower membership costs for technology startups and
companies planning to implement and certify NFC tags
16 in accordance with the new standards. More information
about the program and membership levels can be found at
http://nfc-forum.org/about-us/join-the-forum/.
