VDC’s Top 12 of 2012 – Part 2

In case you missed it, I unveiled the first half of our list on Monday. A brief review (see Monday’s post for more details), and then on to the top 6!

12. GrammaTech introduces architecture visualization system for CodeSonar (March 27^th)

11. LDRA forms LDRA Certification Services (March 26^th)

10. Enea joins the embedded Linux party (March 27^th)

8 and 9. Siemens and PTC expand their lifecycle management coverage through acquisitions (Siemens/LMS International: November 8^th, PTC/Servigistics: August 8^th)

7. General Dynamics acquires OK Labs (September 11^th)

6. Thales acquires SYSGO (November 15^th)

SYSGO joins the list of leading embedded/real-time operating systems vendors (Wind River, MontaVista Software, and QNX Software Systems) that has been acquired since the middle of 2009. As SYSGO’s VP of Marketing Jacques Brygier told our blog earlier this month, “SYSGO remains the same with just more financial backup to move forward. The company keeps its identity, management team, full staff, and offices. It is Thales’ willingness to let SYSGO decide its own growth strategy, including the choice of market segments Thales is not involved with.” We are not sure that Wind River and Green Hills Software are worried just yet, but if Thales holds true to this strategy for its new subsidiary, the competition could start heating up.

5. IBM announces Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager (September 5^th)

As software continues to play a greater role in providing product differentiation and innovation, the convergence of ALM and PLM has become a particularly hot topic and an important business opportunity. RELM is the key element of IBM’s cross-domain integration strategy, and is designed to help engineering teams visualize, analyze, and organize engineering data and their relationships.

4. Coverity launches the Coverity Security Research Laboratory (January 24^th)

If I had to pick one main theme that best defined 2012, it would be security. The Internet of Things phenomenon has pushed the concept of security to the forefront of consumers’ minds, and as a result the engineering community has become increasingly focused on building security into their devices. To that end, Coverity launched its Security Research Laboratory (SRL), which is dedicated to vulnerability research and the discovery of new and existing defects in software code. SRL includes a wide range of security experts from industry and academia.

3. Oracle releases two new Java Embedded products (September 25^th)

As I wrote in September, survey data over the last several years has uncovered a surge in the use of Java in embedded designs. Oracle’s release of Java ME Embedded 3.2 and Java Embedded Suite 7.0 is indicative of the company’s recognition of this trend and its intent to aggressively target embedded developers. Also considering the momentum behind the Java-based Android platform, it certainly seems that 2013 may be the year of Java in embedded.

2. Microsoft unveils Windows Embedded roadmap (November 14^th)

The release of Windows 8, new Windows phones, and the Surface tablet brought with it a great deal of speculation around the future of Microsoft’s various Windows Embedded platforms. In mid-November, Microsoft finally revealed their plans, which, not surprisingly, included yet another naming convention change. A few highlights:

• Windows Embedded Standard 7 will become Windows Embedded 8 Standard (GA: March)
• Windows Embedded Enterprise will become Windows Embedded 8 Professional (GA: March)
• Windows Embedded POSReady will become Windows Embedded 8 Industry (CTP: January)
• Windows Embedded Compact 7 will become Windows Embedded Compact 2013 (GA: Q2 '13)
• More details on Windows Embedded 8 Handheld and Windows Embedded 8 Automotive are expected to be released early next year.

1. Intel rolls out the Intelligent Systems Framework (September 11^th)

Intel continued its heavy push into embedded at the Intel Developer Forum this past September, when it announced the Intelligent Systems Framework (ISF). Another announcement driven by the Internet of Things phenomenon, ISF is a broad specification for intelligent devices in a wide range of industries, from medical and industrial to digital signage and home automation. The framework is “designed to address connecting, managing, and securing devices and data in a consistent and scalable manner,” and includes hardware, operating systems, tools, and other software components.

There are two key reasons ISF earned the top spot in our rankings. First is the impressive list of companies that have pledged their support, which includes Advantech, Arrow Electronics, Avnet, Dell, Digi International, Eurotech, Kontron, and of course Intel subsidiaries McAfee and Wind River. The second – and perhaps more important – reason is simply the attention it has received. People are talking about it. People want to know more about it. In the short time since its release, we have fielded numerous calls from various industry participants looking to discuss ISF and how it may impact the industry moving forward. For those reasons, we believe Intel’s Intelligent Systems Framework was the most significant/noteworthy embedded software announcement of 2012.

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So that’s our list. And though we checked it twice, I am sure you all might have seen things a little bit differently in 2012. So if you’d like to dispute our rankings, point out something that didn’t make the list at all, or even shower us with praise, we would love to hear from you in the comments section.

Here’s looking forward to even more game-changing innovations for embedded in 2013 and beyond!