In our continued effort to share best practices around embedded systems (where digital intelligence is embedded in non-digital devices or materials), we want to point our readers to recent guidelines issued by the Trusted Computing Group (TCG). The guidelines focus on software and firmware updates for embedded systems, which have become increasingly important as the number of cyber attacks continue to rise.
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the 2018 Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) in Boston on April 18th and 19th. As an engineer at Software Design Solutions (SDS), I attended as many class sessions as possible, aiming to learn about new technologies and design approaches—lessons that I can take back and apply to projects for current and future clients.
Embedded systems engineers design, develop, and maintain the hardware and software that runs on embedded systems. As advances and investments in smart technology continue to grow, so does the demand for embedded systems engineers. In 2017, the role of embedded systems engineer was listed as one of the five best engineering jobs.
Until recently, security in embedded software was not widely discussed. Now, if you attend any IoT conference, you will find it on the agenda of numerous presentations. Vendors of new frameworks, processes, or communication protocols all mention security even if it’s only an aside, as in, “Oh, and it’s secure.” Given that your system is only as safe as your weakest connection, it’s imperative to understand and plan for security threats you may encounter when you connect your system to the Internet of Things.
Embedded systems development is an exciting field that has become, in a few short decades, a cornerstone of the way we interact with technology. Unfortunately, our education system is not training new engineers who are effective in it. This is a major problem for our industry.
The number of devices connected to the internet that makes up the Internet of Things—an amazing collection of sensors, TVs, refrigerators, dog collars, temperature gauges, and virtually everything else you can think of—is constantly expanding. Growth will only...