Choosing Systems and Software

Originally Published MX September/October 2005

IT IN HEALTHCARE

Device developers incorporating embedded systems and software into their products are faced with a number of options that must be selected based on their individual system's needs.

The embedded systems market, like others, is driven by both performance and cost, says Joseph Wallace, marketing manager for WIN Enterprises (North Andover, MA), a developer of customized embedded systems and controllers.

"Since many components do the same thing, developers typically use the component that is cheapest at the time of production," he says. "Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) motherboards are readily available and less expensive than custom-made boards for small quantities, but may offer more functionality than required by the developer. On the other hand, the COTS board may offer less-than-optimal functionality around which the engineers have to work to attain their desired performance."