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"When it comes to choosing processors, there
are benefits to taking the road most traveled."
David Barker, Director, Product
Management SaaS Security, PTC
David is an experienced business leader
who has focused the last 12+ years of his
career on cyber security. He's worked in
cyber leadership roles for PTC, Stanley
Black & Decker, and Dell EMC. David is an
effective subject matter expert, capable of
transforming business needs into secure
technological solutions and charting a
secure product journey from IoT to SaaS.
For David Barker, director of Product Management and Saas Security at PTC, one
of the greatest challenges in designing a smart building product is striking the right
balance: The design must have the longevity it needs to justify a product development
investment but not last so long that it is no longer cost-effective to maintain. This
balance involves many tradeoffs in decisions related to component selection, sensor
selection, and even approaches to device security.
For example, when selecting a processor for their device, designers must choose one
capable of supporting the data and processing loads required of that device. But there
are other things to consider. If a silicon manufacturer rolls out a new microprocessor
that has all the desired functionality plus some exciting new innovations, there's a risk
in being an early adopter of that innovative technology. If the device is going into a
building that requires a long life cycle, taking that risk may not be the right decision.
"You have to ask yourself what it would cost you to deploy a thousand of those things,
and then have to go replace them all," says Barker.
"When it comes to choosing processors, there are benefits to taking the road most
traveled," Barker says. "You're going to get the best overall support. You've got a mature
component. A mainstream processor will have a whole ecosystem built around it. You
Designing for Service Longevity Is a Balancing Act
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