Imation said it will begin shipping its tape RFID tape tracking technology in April. The technology embeds RFID chips in standard tape cartridge labels, allowing them to be scanned either individually with a hand-held device or by placing cases with up to 20 tapes inside on an scanning pad. While the GPS tracking system will not be part of the initial product launch next month, over the next two months Imation plans to announce when the addition of GPS technology will be available in order to locate cartridges no matter where they are.

Imation's DataGuard rf Tape Tracking System will be sold as kits that contain one or both scanning devices - stationary and hand held - tracking management software, and a newly designed tape cartridge carrying case that fits most tape cartridge formats, including LTO, DLT, 3590, 34x0, 9x40, 3592, and T10000.

"Imation's ground-breaking DataGuard rf tape tracking system will help ensure data centers are able to reliably account for their tape cartridges,' said Dianne McAdam, an analyst with The Clipper Group, in Wellesley, Mass.

Tim Bjork, market development manager for Oakdale, Minn.-based Imation, said Imation's RFID technology is a first for tape cartridge tracking and security, embedding a tracking chip into a standard VOLame SERial number (volser) label. "This not a battery powered tag, but a tag that is powered up from the system itself," Bjork said.

When tapes are scanned through either the Imation DataGard Scan Station or Imation's DataGard Mobile (hand-held) Scanner with docking station, the cartridge ID information is automatically recorded into a workstation. The individual cartridge or case of cartridges are then tracked using B&L Associates' VaultLedger or Vertices software. The reader system workstation automatically encrypts and posts the label information to the selected system software, which interfaces with a user's own tape management system.