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Another important consideration in designing hardware that has a long service life
is support for different communications protocols. Although such protocols remain
in use for years, new ones emerge. "You can design your device to support multiple
protocols so that in the future, you're not at a disadvantage because of limited
protocol on your device ," Sule says.
Software upgrades. Designers need to enable remote software updates that add
functionality or patch vulnerabilities, including the ability to manage device security
through software upgrades. In some settings, particularly industrial environments,
people who maintain information and control systems are not authorized to make
software upgrades. How you support this need is a key design consideration driven by
the nature of the product and the criticality of the systems it controls.
All these considerations have cost implications, and other design decisions influence
how you support your product. For example, where you place compute resources is a
fundamental question. Does compute belong in the cloud, or does it belong in a device
at the network edge? "It's often a question of where the costs fall," Sule says. "There may
be no one right answer, but generally, data used to control something is processed near
the operation that generates that data, and data used to analyze performance is often
analyzed in the cloud". The location of system intelligence influences system support.
Today's reality in smart product design is that development continues through the
product life cycle. Sule's advice? "For successful products, you have to create hardware
and software solutions that are nimble and can accommodate expansion."
"You can design
your device to
support multiple
protocols so that
in the future,
you're not at a
disadvantage
because of
limited protocol
on your device."
