The “intelligent connected device” will be the next hotbed of innovation and growth in the technology sector — revolutionizing markets as they exist today, according to embedded operating system market leader Wind River. Speaking with customers in San Jose, Calif., Wind River chairman and CEO Ken Klein predicted a major shift in device software, and declared that companies not actively building… connectivity and intelligence into their products today will not survive past the next wave of technology innovation and growth.

“For manufacturers, device software will be the critical determining factor for a company's success or failure,” Wind River explained, in a statement associated with Klein's talk. The company noted that embedded devices — such as car navigation systems, home appliances, pacemakers, and robots — rely on increasingly complex, connected, and intelligent software for the features and functions that end-users demand. Such applications represent 98 percent of the market for the world's microprocessors, with just two percent going into “traditional IT” (PCs and servers), according to Wind River.

VDC analyst Stephen Balacco agrees: “Software innovation in the past has focused on 'traditional IT' systems. The next technology wave is device software that creates new scenarios for connected smart devices. Software is increasingly the key driver of competitive advantage for manufacturers building more technologically advanced devices and will raise the notions of what embedded systems are capable of doing.”

“An increasingly intelligent, connected world of devices brings new challenges in complexity for the device manufacturer such as security, standards, and how to drive down costs while increasing quality,” Klein continued. “Intelligent software presents a huge opportunity for device manufacturers; however, many of them have no real expertise in software development.”

“Companies need to develop a software strategy,” Klein said, noting that Wind River plans to collaborate with semiconductor partners and Red Hat to “enable leading manufacturers to catapult to the next level of innovation and thrive in the global economy.”

“Device software optimization enables companies to make their software a strategic weapon,” Wind River's statement added.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.