On Target: Embedded Systems

Dude, what did you do in your car?

Data privacy has long been a hot contested topic fought between privacy advocates and governing bodies. The definitions of privacy laws and ownership of data are increasingly challenged as electrical systems today become more sophisticated and accrue more information. In recent years, the automotive industry has provided more kindling for the fire with the installation of event data recorders (EDR) – much like a black box in an aircraft – in most (85+%) new vehicles. Without regulation of these devices, whose presence is generally unknown, everyday drivers are potentially vulnerable to their vehicles’ data being misused by authorities and insurance... Read more →

Attend the Amphion Forum on December 5th in San Francisco

Join hundreds of the brightest minds from business, academia, government and defense, as we reach for a common goal: a safer, more secure Internet of Things. At Amphion, you’ll understand the threats, and what you can actually do about them. You’ll return to your organization with actionable intelligence you can use to make the devices you make or use safer and more secure. VDC's Chris Rommel will be a featured speaker at the event, and will also be participating in a panel discussion along with representatives from Intel, McAfee, Wind River, and Metaforic. Don’t miss your chance to attend the... Read more →

The Embedded Software Beat

A Q&A with Stefan Skarin, Chief Executive Officer, IAR Systems Group AB. This interview is the fourth in a series that we look to conduct during the course of 2012 with embedded software solution providers to share their views on their company, products, and state of the market. VDC was fortunate to catch up with Mr. Skarin in advance of the ARM TechCon where IAR Systems will be announcing and demonstrating new products. VDC: IAR Systems is a long-time supplier of software development solutions to the embedded market. Can you briefly introduce the company to our readers? Skarin: IAR Systems... Read more →

Is There a Market for Standalone Hypervisors?

The commercial market for mobile virtualization solutions was highly limited even before General Dynamics’ acquisition of Open Kernel Labs last month. Now, with several recent reports indicating that IBM is close to reaching an agreement to buy Red Bend Software, the commercial market may disappear entirely. But is this really that surprising? For years, suppliers of mobile hypervisors have struggled to effectively communicate the value proposition of their solutions. Initially touted as a technology that can enable reduced bill-of-material costs, mobile virtualization has more recently been evangelized as the way to allow mobile devices to securely support multiple personas. In... Read more →

Intelligence…Who Cares? Show Us More Smarts!

Intelligence is cheap. Moore’s Law has been eerily accurate since first discussed back in 1965. Processing power has increased exponentially while component size and cost has shrunk. Today we are “data rich” and getting richer, awash with more intelligent products and data streams of all sorts from sensors, cameras and other gadgets. But so what? Embedding intelligence into a device or collecting data without providing the context or connection for information to reach the right people or systems is about as helpful as can of soup to a hungry man without a can opener. There is little intrinsic value to... Read more →

The Embedded Software Beat

A Q&A with Paul Anderson, VP of Engineering, GrammaTech This interview is the third in a series that we look to conduct during the course of 2012 with embedded software solution providers to share their views on their company, products, and state of the market. VDC: GrammaTech has been in the source code analysis business for over 20 years; can you briefly introduce the company to our readers? Anderson: We were founded as a spin-off from Cornell University to commercialize the results of research into interactive development environments. Since then we have done a lot of research into software analysis... Read more →