I found this downloadable article over at Bitpipe (free registration required): Is RFID a Disruptive Technology?The authors, Sandhya Sule and Suhil Avhad say the answer to the question is "yes." They say companies can expect five things to be disrupted: people, processes, applications, technologies and partner relationships. This chart outlines the disruptions:



Click to View Larger ImageI think the disruptive elements of RFID are only just beginning. Take for instance, people. RFID is likely to mean gradual layoffs and retraining of workers as RFID technology streamlines warehouses and logistical operations.

Applications are already starting to change. As someone coming from an IT industry background, it's obvious to me that we are in the early stages of developing the next generation of enterprise systems. Already a new category of middleware is being created. And RFID is causing companies to transform the way data is collected, stored and mined across value chains. We've talked about these developments quite a bit on this weblog.

And as the various mandates (Wal-Mart, Tesco, Target, Department of Defense, etc.) have vividly illustrated, supplier relationships are changing with RFID implementations -- more rapidly than many partners would like. We're also seeing new partnerships develop on the provider side -- by and among RFID hardware providers, software vendors and integrators. The next 6 - 12 months will see the provider side shake out into distinct camps, in my view.

Read the whole thing.