On Target: Embedded Systems

Embedded World Bulletin – March 2010

VDC attended the 2010 embedded world Exhibition & Conference in Nuremberg, Germany March 2nd and 3rd. This bulletin presents a summary of the event. This is the first time VDC Research has attended embedded world and according to the show closing report, there were 730 international exhibiting companies and 18,350 trade visitors. Both represent a record number of exhibitors and visitors participating in the exhibition and conference over previous years. The show floor consisted of four interconnected halls with exhibitors logically grouped by the type of products offered. Over the course of two days VDC met with over 20 exhibitors... Read more →

Outsourcing in the Embedded Market

OEMs turn to third-party engineering services for a variety of reasons. A recently published industry brief by VDC Research examines OEMs’ use of third-party outsourcing for various embedded software engineering services including its benefits, drivers, inhibitors, and competitive landscape. The industry brief also includes various statistics around the use of outsourcing within embedded engineering development projects. Engineering Tasks Most Frequently Outsourced to External Companies (Ranked by Percent of Respondents) Not outsourcing any engineering tasks 53% Software application/middleware development/test 1 Board level engineering test 2 Firmware development/test 3 Mechanical engineering 4 System integration/test/verification 5 Outsourcing in embedded software development is driven... Read more →

2010 Embedded Software & Tools Market Update & Outlook - Webcast Available

We want to thank everyone who attended our webcast, "Embedded Software and Tools Market Update & Outlook." We hope you found the content both useful & interesting. In case you missed the live webcast, here is a link to its recording and slides. Please note that registration is required to view the recording . Please be sure contact us directly if we can help answer any questions you may have on the presentation or our thoughts on the 2010 embedded software and tools market in general. Read more →

2010 Embedded Software & Tools Market Update & Outlook - Webcast Today!

It is not too late to register for today's webcast! During this complimentary webcast, we will discuss the challenges facing embedded device and systems manufacturers and their embedded solutions providers and offer our thoughts on how they will have to adjust given the current economic climate. Specifically, the webcast will address the following key questions: How have economic conditions affected embedded software solution suppliers? What does the competitive landscape look like? How will supplier consolidation affect the market? How are multi-core requirements impacting embedded software development? What types of tasks are being outsourced by OEMs and what are the opportunities... Read more →

2009 Embedded Engineering Survey Data ~ Available Now!

With the increasing complexity of embedded software and hardware designs, the 2009 end-user data books provide insight into the behavior, opinions, and demographics of embedded engineers, the degree to which embedded system engineering tasks are converging, and key system engineering trends likely to impact embedded systems manufacturers and solution providers over the short and long term. This end-user data is based on detailed Web survey responses collected in the late May 2009 to mid September 2009 time-frame from over 780 embedded systems engineers worldwide and offer an understanding about the dynamics of the embedded market as they relate to current... Read more →

Do you know who wrote the software in your blender?

Outsourcing increasing the need for test automation Nearly 50% of our respondents to our 2009 Embedded System Engineering survey reported the outsourcing of one or more engineering tasks to external companies for current projects. This rate is a substantial increase over our 2008 survey results in which less than 40% of respondents cited engineering work being outsourced. Moreover, software application/middleware development/test – arguably the most important discipline for end product differentiation – was cited by our survey respondents as the most frequently outsourced engineering task, underscoring the importance of establishing and/or enhancing software testing practices going forward. Well before the... Read more →