Embedded/Real-Time Operating Systems - VDC Research

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Market Overview Devices are coming – billions of devices are already here – and software is everywhere Embedded devices and systems have permeated where we live, where we work, how we travel, and how we communicate. Billions of devices shipping on an annual basis that span various applications include high availability, safety-critical, and security requirements. “At one time, embedded devices were something you found on the factory floor; now, everyone is using some form of personal embedded device: smartphones, tablets, etc.” - Embedded OS supplier Historically many of these types of devices would have limited resources with respect to processor performance, memory, and connectivity - creating islands of technology and disconnected data. The availability of more complex system/hardware architectures, more advanced software, and connectivity has created new scenarios for smart, smarter, and now as some would refer to as “intelligent systems” creating new experiences for business and consumers. For business, the opportunity is immense. Embedded devices located at the edge of networks can be linked to a cloud computing architecture and to the backend enterprise IT ecosystem upon which data aggregation and analytics can drive near real-time business decisions. It also opens up the possibilities for new types of applications to be created that can result in new value-add services. Embedded operating system (EOS) suppliers have long recognized the challenges faced by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); • Development budgets under scrutiny; • Tight delivery timeframes; • New functionality; • Insufficient resources; and • A competitive landscape (Margins under pressure). However, EOS vendors must be vigilant and maintain flexibility in meeting evolutionary changes within device development platforms to meet customers’ requirements around security, support for new hardware architectures, embedded virtualization, cloud computing, and other emerging trends within the market. “We’re seeing less economic uncertainty than we have in recent years. While we’re seeing market activity pick up, economic and geopolitical hurdles remain. Despite this, the economic climate of recent years has only exacerbated the requirement to deliver time-tomarket and cost benefits.” - Embedded OS supplier Some EOS suppliers have begun to focus there attention and resources on enterprise markets specifically around secure solutions. Other suppliers have looked to divest certain aspects of their business and redefine their strategic direction with a focus on growing existing customers. Some are faced with uncertain austerity measures with military budgets worldwide and the potential for reduced spending on new electronic system projects. For these and many other reasons, the embedded software market remains a challenging environment for software solution providers and will continue to accommodate a variety of OSs. OEMs will need to determine what features and capabilities best meet their needs. Many EOS vendors have evolved from offering a discrete product to integrated and optimized solutions including development tools, middleware, professional services, and other key solution elements critical to their customers’ success. vdcresearch.com © 2012 VDC Research Group, Inc. Embedded Software & Tools 5
Strategic Issues, Trends & Market Drivers Roll-Your-Own (RYO) OS is the primary competition –internal OEM engineering organizations VDC has observed over the years that suppliers of commercial OSs will almost always cite rollyour-own OSs and OEM internal engineering organizations as their primary competition. “RYO is our primary competition. However, as software complexity continues to increase, companies are looking for reliable, fully tested and well-supported commercial platforms.” - Embedded OS supplier As the requirements for embedded systems have changed, OEMs face increasing levels of complexity from integrating new silicon architectures to the development and integration of in-house developed code, commercially available software components, and open source software. All of these issues present unique challenges to OEMs that demand a disciplined approach to developing, testing, and integrating software which represents the increasing importance of device software. “The advantages of an in-house OS is that it is usually well known and understood by the company using it. Free development tools can have the advantage of lower cost to application developers if the quality is adequate.” - Embedded OS supplier Embedded engineers responding to our surveys cite a gradual migration within their product development to increasing use of commercially available and supported OSs. RYO OS users are faced with the same market forces as the commercial user community in terms of increased product complexity in hardware and software, competitive time-to-market pressures, and the need to minimize inefficiencies across projects. The major roadblock in switching RYO OS users to commercial OS users continues to be cost, control, and inertia. Commercial OS vendors need to work closely as part of an education, relationship sell, to provide a compelling case to overcome these issues. “Engineering organizations need to look at their ongoing maintenance costs for supporting inhouse OS's/tools and see how that compares to the use of a commercial OS. The internal development cost to add new processor support, BSP support, SMP support, new features, and certification to an in-house OS can be prohibitive to the in-house developers.” - Embedded OS supplier As software complexity continues to increase, engineering organizations are looking for reliable, fully tested and well-supported commercial platforms that can enable product development to quickly adapt to key technology trends (i.e., multicore, virtualization, safety/security certification, etc.). Niche markets will continue to have a RYO need and it becomes a trade off as to when these niche markets become big enough for a commercial vendor to step in and fill the need. In working closely with RYO OS users, commercial OS vendors must gain their trust and give them reasons to change. OEMs, especially large companies who support multiple product lines, are increasingly using product line management techniques for software. In this case, companies are strategically architecting core assets for reuse across multiple products. A common OS, APIs, development tools, and middleware enable developers to focus on the application and enable the reuse of software code across different generations of products and product lines. OEMs will look to scale back the use of RYO OSs and consolidate on commercial OSs that offer broad functionality and scalability that can be used across a variety of products. vdcresearch.com © 2012 VDC Research Group, Inc. Embedded Software & Tools 6
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