The embedded development company Etas intends to acquire the specialist for embedded security solutions Escrypt. The foundation for the expansion of the Etas portfolio was laid in early 2012 with the formation of the new “Embedded Systems Consulting” business unit, which operates worldwide and offers independent, global consulting services. The expansion will be aimed specifically at the range of services in the area of functional safety and embedded security.
As printed boards evolve and chip speeds increase, the use of microwave technology in commercial applications is expanding. Printed boards that incorporate high speed chips and microwave circuitry have many parameters that are quite different from more mainstream rigid and flexible printed boards. These differences are covered in the “B” revision of IPC-6018, Qualification and Performance Specification for High Frequency (Microwave) Printed Boards, and the changes to the specification are extensive.
Modern test methods like debug trace or boundary scan are an important part of the system test portfolio. Unfortunately, they require special ports which raise the component cost. Especially in high volume applications, even an extra cent may be too high a price. Luckily, there are ways to gather the neccessary information even without a dedicated debug port.
With the advent of Android OS in the embedded market, security and virtualization technology needs to take it into consideration. Furthermore, certified IP is gaining importance. The new version of PikeOS deals with those topics.
Partitioned systems that can run different (virtualized) operating systems in parallel are a key part of modern safety and security concepts. The major problem is the inter-partition communication which is absolutely neccessary while at the same time a possible security hole.
Today, one of the most important software development tools is the in-circuit debugger. The downside is that those are extremely target specific, so users need a continuous supply of them for each new architecture.
The concept of domain-specific languages – DSL – certainly is fascinating for the computer science theoretician. While even a few IT projects have been realized with them, DSLs are niche languages – obiously – for niche applications. In order to broaden their application space, co-operation of theorists and practitioners is neccessary.
A middle-sized software company which tries to serve the whole of the embedded market needs partners in special business areas – today, the market is too fragmented. The combination of a security and a car infotainment expert certainly has the potential to gain a strong footing in the automotive space.
