The Cloud TechChannel precipitates what's on the horizon for on-demand Web-based embedded computing resources and how they're transforming the traditional notions of data access and storage through the concept of virtualized network infrastructure. The connectivity enabled by thi... Mores shared infrastructure has the possibility of bringing to fruition long-held ideas such as the “Internet of things” and enhancements to the smart grid, but raises issues surrounding data integrity and security, network transparency, and virtual machines. The Cloud TechChannel keeps an eye on the weather, tracking developments in “Green Computing,” Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), device/location independence, Web operating systems, and other key tenets of Cloud engineering.
Many industries have recognized the value of cloud computing both in terms of cost reduction through shared resources, and new capability offered by the medium. However, adoption of the cloud has been slow in the electronics segments, partly due to security concerns. This article discusses an approach to cloud usage in electronic design that breaks the security adoption barrier and highlights capabilities previously unavailable through traditional solutions.
Much of the technology needed for the Internet of Things (IoT) has been available for some time, but connecting a world’s worth of devices to the cloud requires more than just an Internet connection. For IoT deployments to be successful, business models and pain points for players on both the device side and network side must be identified, followed by solutions that can collect and analyze data securely and efficiently.
Embedded computing’s value is in providing real-time, no-delay, context-specific functionality that is very
responsive to customer needs and changing environments. The ubiquitous broadband connection to the
Internet and the cloud allow embedded developers to realize these values. Using a hybrid model takes the best of both worlds by doing the heavy lifting offline, while maintaining critical pieces of functionality in the device. The technique is in finding the appropriate balance point in how much logic/memory lives where and how fast developers can adapt to evolving customer needs.
