NCR will launch help build programs designed to process the enormous amounts of data associated with radio frequency identification (RFID).

Called the NCR Velocity Portal, the new suite was formally launched at the recent National Retail Federation Convention and Expo in New York.

The NCR Velocity Portal supported a variety of input/output technologies, including real-time wireless, batch systems, programmable logic controllers and personal digital assistants, NCR said.

The platform provided integrated security and user authentication, multilingual support based on user login, and the ability to connect to a very large number of data sources.

The vendor will be eating its own dog food by progressively applying (RFID) tags to its products and implementing RFID-based solutions starting in the first quarter of this year to improve its supply chain management and asset tracking processes.

NCR will work with its suppliers to implement the tagging initiative.

"NCR is deploying RFID throughout its own supply chain to help realide the operational efficiencies our RFID solutions are delivering to our clients across multiple industries," NCR global RFID solutions vice-president, John Greaves, said.

"We fully expect to realise measurable supply chain benefits in the short term for our own organisation as a result of this process deployment."

NCR will roll out an RFID inventory management solution into its supply chain, beginning with its products for the retail industry. Building on the success of this initial phase, the company plans to expand the program to track other products across the company's other business units.