On Target: Embedded Systems

Intel’s IoT Platform Extends Security Toward Edges

At a press and analyst event in San Francisco on December 9, Intel announced its “IoT Platform” reference model. The model is horizontal in scope, encompassing numerous technologies applicable to everything from edge devices to gateways to the cloud. In addition, it is intended to be a modular approach, such that Intel’s hardware and software components (including those from subsidiaries Wind River and McAfee) can be mixed with those of other vendors. For example, a customer could deploy its preferred gateway devices not limited to those based on Intel’s Moon Island design, while remaining compatible with Intel’s reference model. We... Read more →

Automotive Privacy Protection Principles Don't Go Far Enough

The Association of Global Automakers and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers jointly announced on November 13, 2014 a set of voluntary “Consumer Privacy Protection Principles.” (See the press release here, and download the principles PDF document here.) The document is written in quasi-legalese, but in essence, it’s a pledge by automakers, beginning with the 2017 model year, to among other things: inform consumers about how data collected from their vehicles will be used obtain “affirmative consent” for certain ways that data might be used anonymize aspects of the data under some circumstances VDC applauds the auto industry for recognizing the... Read more →

How Significant is ARM’s mbed OS?

For microcontrollers (MCUs) used in embedded devices, intellectual property supplier ARM is the clear market leader. In a recent forecast for VDC Research’s report “The Global Market for Embedded Processors,” ARM-based MCUs accounted for more than half of the unit shipments using non-proprietary architectures in 2013 (see chart). The Cortex-M series is the main line of ARM MCUs, and is the most prevalent architecture used in embedded devices for the IoT. So when ARM announced on October 1 at the TechCon convention and trade show that the company would provide a free operating system—the mbed OS—for the M-series, it created... Read more →

VDC Research is Attending ARM TechCon 2014 in Santa Clara October 1-2

We are attending ARM TechCon 2014 in Santa Clata ARM TechCon 2014 at the Santa Clara Convention Center is designed to facilitate collaborative design by connecting the hardware and software communities in one event. The event delivers a comprehensive forum created to ignite the development and optimization of future ARM-based embedded products. The conference includes about 75 intriguing sessions offering insight and education into new products, advanced development techniques, security issues, and much more. For more information about ARM TechCon 2014 and to register for the event, click here. Contact us directly to schedule a meeting! We would like to... Read more →

VDC Research is attending Agile2014 in Orlando July 28-29

We are attending the Agile2014 conference in Orlando Agile2014 is organized by the Agile Alliance, and it is intended to promote the principles of Agile and serve as an opportunity for all of the foremost experts and innovators in the field to come together. The conference boasts over 240 talks and workshops across 16 program tracks and over 1,800 attendees. For more information about Agile2014 and to register for the event, click here. Make sure to attend the Industry Analyst Panel Discussion: Agile Trends and Future Directions on Tuesday, June 29 to see VDC’s Chris Rommel speak on the panel.... Read more →

IoT Necessitates Changes in Both People and Technology

The requirements of the devices composing the Internet of Things are changing rapidly. The embedded market no longer consists of dedicated-purpose devices that may or may not be connected. Engineering organizations and deploying enterprises must now design scalable system topologies that can integrate new devices and adapt to the IoT’s evolution. While these next-generation systems are required to facilitate downstream device/node management as well as efficient upstream data transfer and analytics, they must also do so dynamically, allowing for more intelligence and flexibility in node role and workloads within sub-network architectures. This recognition of a need for change in legacy... Read more →

VDC Research is Attending IBM Innovate2014 in Orlando

VDC Research will be attending Innovate2014, IBM’s Technical Summit in Orlando, June 1-3, 2014. IBM has planned an exciting agenda for the conference highlighting continuous engineering, DevOps, and Innovation. We are also pleased to announce Chris Rommel, Executive Vice President of M2M Embedded Technology is a speaker for an important panel discussion, “Best Practices for Agile Product Development”, to be held Monday, June 2. We encourage you to attend. Best Practices for Agile Product Development discussion overview: Agile methods are popular and effective in software development for complex products. But, the application of agile principles to the broader product development... Read more →