Building a base for embedded ROI

What does it take to make the right investments in standards development for embedded systems? There are two primary choices in architecture for any system-proprietary or nonproprietary. Products that dominate their markets can be proprietary, but if the market has any substantial size, then customers or competition soon pressure the original-equipment developer to open up the architecture to drive down cost.

Standards then become necessary once a number of suppliers enter the market. The standards are needed to ensure compatibility between solutions and to enable an ecosystem that will support the market. Standards can apply to all facets of the architecture, from hardware to software.

Standards can be de facto or sanctioned. Both types have their advantages and can work in the marketplace. De facto standards tend to survive in markets where there is a single or small number of market leaders driving the standard. Sanctioned standards are typically more popular in fragmented markets with a number of suppliers. The suppliers collaborate to develop standards that meet the requirements of a broad range of participants.

In the growing network and communications embedded segment of the computer industry, several organizations help guide, drive and sanction standards that can be used by the members of the ecosystem.

A supplier can choose to take one of three roles in the development and evolution of related industry standards: do nothing, observe or actively participate. To do nothing is usually the road to failure or mediocre success. You stand the risk of losing touch with key industry technology and having products that are not accepted by the customers in the industry.

Observing is the minimal level of acceptable participation. As an observer, you will be able to stay on top of changes in the industry and use the information gained to direct your product development. Close observation can also alert you to when it may be appropriate to increase your involvement to the next level, active participation.

Active participation is by far the best role. Here, you can influence the standards development to your customers' benefit and the good of the industry. You also have much earlier access to technical information within the proposed specification and can use that to influence your product development. Active participants are typically among the first to market with solutions and are regarded as the leaders in innovation for the industry.

There are multiple levels of contribution as an active participant, ranging from working-committee participation to working-group officers, to chair of working groups. All of these positions are key and should be considered strongly when making a decision to invest in standards definition and development. Typically the standards teams are members of the chief of technology office, technical marketing or key developers from the engineering ranks. It takes a very special talent to participate in standards development efforts. The right person must have the right technology expertise, but that person must also have strong people skills to be truly successful and influential.

Being a technical expert does not guarantee that one will be a successful contributor to the standards efforts. Key personal skills include persuasion, negotiation, attention to detail, being a team player and results orientation.

Successful open-architecture standards are supported by ecosystems that provide robust solutions for members of the ecosystem. These ecosystems have a range of suitable product offerings, from a solid base of well-established suppliers that adhere to the ecosystem standards. Collaboration throughout the ecosystem guides the development of solutions that create the strongest ecosystem. These ecosystems deliver choices for developers to achieve the correct make-vs.-buy decisions. Solid ecosystems support a broad selection of products and services that speed your time-to-market with off-the-shelf solutions appropriate for your application.

Ecosystems evolve over time, so you should pay close attention to the changing dynamics as you begin to leverage the ecosystem. You should consider the following before selecting the systems standards in which you should invest your time and money.

- Application requirements: Does the type of applications your company develops really need to follow certain specific standards? Are things such as form factor, interconnects, compatibility and ecosystem associated with specific standards important to your product road maps and development?

- Environmental: Do the standards support the appropriate environmental specifications for your industry segment?

- Performance: Does the standard offer sufficient performance now and is it scalable to future requirements for your applications?

- Software: Are the right tools and application interfaces well-defined?

- Interoperability with other systems: Does the standard support interoperability for your products within your industry?

- Business considerations: Are there legal or other barriers?

- Maturity of the ecosystem: How mature is the ecosystem that supports relative standards?

- Existing infrastructure and investments: What existing support for specific or related standards is in place in your company?

It is difficult to determine the relationship between technology life cycles and standards. Many new standards are dependent on older technologies while many leading-edge technologies are enabling new standards.

In embedded-systems applications, the best standards tend to have life cycles that extend well beyond 20 years. Designs in many embedded systems have long life cycles and depend on the advantages that a stable and well-mapped standard provides. The best of the standards have solid migration paths that preserve the investments made in previous generations of products.

The role of intellectual property in the development of standards can be a challenging issue. A company must make a key decision before getting deeply involved in certain standards efforts.

Most standards bodies require that any intellectual property be made available to followers of the standard at a reasonable cost before it is allowed into a specification. Mature standards bodies take this seriously and spend time assuring that intellectual-property rules are understood by members and that everyone is aware of pending disclosures that could impact future efforts.

Matching product road maps to technology road maps and standards must be given serious consideration. Many times the acceptance of a product will be determined by the status of pending standards activities. Potential customers consider related standards a key indicator of acceptance of a product.