Interest in radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is on the rise, according to the results of a study from the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

CompTIA’s recent survey of IT companies shows that 46% of their customers have implemented one or more RFID systems, up from 34% in 2007. The survey is based on responses from 155 IT firms whose customers come from a range of industries, including services, government, healthcare, finance, retail, communications and manufacturing.

The most popular RFID rollouts are for asset tracking, as chosen by 32% of respondents. Next was personal identification, with 28%, supply chain (25%), retail marketing (15%) and closed loop manufacturing (9%).

“RFID offers adopters a number of benefits, from improvement in manufacturing, inventory and distribution processes, to reduced costs for product theft, spoilage and obsolescence,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA.

A separate study demonstrates the use of RFID for asset tracking. “Get a Grip: The CDW-G Federal IT Asset Management Report” shows that many federal agencies use technology tools to track assets. A full 37% use RFID tags. The most popular technology for tracking assets is barcodes, as chosen by 57% of respondents.

According to the report, the goals of asset management are to improve security, reduce theft of IT equipment, improve efficiency of IT upgrades and patch management, and boost savings. However, 31% of respondents said one of their concerns about asset tracking is the potential for removal of RFID tags and bar codes from IT gear.

“Agencies are embracing IT asset tracking with the inherent benefits top of mind,” said Andy Lausch, senior director of federal sales for CDW-G. “Agencies have made strong progress, even as they face considerable challenges. Better asset tracking processes and tools, as well as budgetary support, are important next steps.”

Amy Schurr is the former managing features editor of Network World.