Category Archive: Technology

“Living Our Mission” Video Captures Essence of Company’s Purpose

Dedicated Computing, a leading original design manufacturer (ODM) of proprietary, embedded computing systems, today released a new corporate video capturing the purpose and vision of their corporate mission: Powering the World’s Most Important Devices®. To learn more about Dedicated Computing, Click HERE

The 2-minute, documentary-short captures company employees discussing the “why” behind their mission. To see more Dedicated Computing videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Compute-Storage Proximity: When Storage at the Edge Makes Sense

A series on cloud technology versus localized software-defined storage

Definitely impactful trends – but is cloud migration an absolute strategy? Not necessarily, particularly as there is healthy debate about what can be disseminated and stored to a public cloud, or even kept in a hybrid environment. Concerns over privacy, access, control, security, and capabilities are warranted, given the ever increasing volumes of data and information to be safely managed. The reality is that moving everything to the cloud may not be the only answer.

A pragmatic alternative is a localized offering, yet concerns related to costs, maintenance, and capacity act as roadblocks to serious consideration.  In reality, cost advantages can be gained with storage close to the source—such as reducing maintenance staff, improving data reliability and security, and addressing physical challenges of latency and bandwidth in transmitting data. This is particularly true for firms requiring meaningful, time-sensitive analytics. In these cases it is vital that both the application and high performance storage capacity are in close proximity.

High capacity storage is often pushed to the cloud because of a perceived cost advantage. What’s different now, however, is the advent of software-defined storage or hyperconvergence. Storage on-site is much less complex and much more relevant. For more insight, read Dedicated Computing’s article on this topic, originally published in eeCatalog.

UW-Milwaukee Senior Project Day

Thanks to a fantastic group of aspiring engineers from UW-Milwaukee for presenting their Senior Project today — Acoustic and Deadening Solution Analysis for a 1U Server. Very inspiring, thank you!

Dedicated Computing Exhibiting at the 2018 I/ITSEC Conference

Dedicated Computing is exhibiting at the upcoming I/ITSEC conference in Orlando, FL, November 26 – November 30.  Stop by the Dedicated Computing Booth (#1620) to learn how Dedicated delivers compute and storage systems to meet the complex and demanding requirements of the training and simulation industry. Dedicated will be showcasing its high-performance appliances and image generation systems that meet the visual realism and graphical density requirements of the market.

The Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) is the world’s largest modeling, simulation, and training conference. I/ITSEC is organized by the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA), which promotes international and interdisciplinary cooperation within the fields of modeling and simulation, training, education, analysis, and related disciplines at this annual meeting.

Connect with Dedicated Computing at RSNA 2018

2018 RSNADedicated Computing will be present at the 2018 RSNA conference in Chicago, IL, November 25 – November 30.  Plan to connect with your DC Account Team during the world’s premier radiology forum. Dedicated Computing will be there along side the world’s premier medical device OEMs. Schedule your meeting now with DC to learn how we empower medical device Application Ready Reference Designs. To learn more about RSNA 2018, click here.

The 2018 RSNA conference convenes radiology professionals from around the globe to gather knowledge through educational courses, explore the latest innovations presented by technical exhibitors, discover groundbreaking research from scientific paper presentations, and participate in networking opportunities.

Ensuring a Successful Migration to Windows 10

The launch of a new operating system is always a challenge, and in the context of stresses faced by the OEM community developing and manufacturing complex medical systems, it can be particularly daunting. Considering the rising tide of security concerns affecting medical devices, however, and the ability of Windows 10 to better protect against these evolving threats, OEMs should be seeking smart ways to transition to the new software solution—smoothly and proactively, rather than under duress of a potential future FDA mandate. System validation, application performance, industry regulations, and compliance requirements are just some of the issues that have OEMs scratching their heads: What are the pitfalls of a Windows 10 transition and are there smart ways to successfully migrate hundreds or thousands of devices to a new operating system?

Share Information
Open discussion and shared information is critical to determining a path, tapping into insights from both engineering and development teams. This “big picture” approach will help OEMs take the most strategic path, as there are certainly going to be choices to be made.

How does the application’s release schedule come into play?
Are there strategic buys that can extend a Windows 7 deployment, and if so, what are the risks?
What are the development requirements behind hardware that handles both OS options?
What other opportunities are made possible by undertaking OS transition; for example, can we simultaneously improve remote access and field service?

Protect Validation Resources
Remaining with Windows 7 is an option for some companies. For example, if the application has a future release scheduled that best accommodates the Windows 10 transition. OEMs avoid re-engineering and validation just to keep performance static. Hardware lifecycles may conflict, however, adding some complexity to this effort. Risks also increase as the end of Windows 7 support approaches. Last-time buys may become more difficult, additional components will also discontinue support, and compatible device drivers may disappear. OEMs should instead focus on minimizing validation, whether remaining on Windows 7 or migrating to Windows 10, committing to effective management of software stack and hardware transition.

It’s critical to be aware that resources are required whether or not the OEM application is rewritten for a new OS; a new software stack must be developed and tested for reliable performance with Windows 10 and any new hardware. Components that support both OS options may add greater value here, extending application lifecycles as well as enabling new options for security patching, system updates, and maintenance. Careful evaluation of hardware is necessary to OS transition, offering potential efficiencies of time and resources by syncing up validation of hardware, software, and OS.

Strategies May Include Incremental Approach
Moving to a new OS may also be best handled with an incremental approach, depending on how the system is deployed and connected, as well as where it is in terms of its overall lifecycle. For example, a deployed system with limited connectivity could be migrated to the same OS but with the addition of a remote monitoring agent. This enables more effective distribution of device updates, which could include a new OS and validated software stack. By approaching the transition in phases, OEMs protect their customers’ investments, minimizing disruption and improving security patches through improved connectivity.

Security Is the Driver
Even as connectivity is an advantage for intelligent healthcare systems, its potential for increasing the threat surface on systems and devices demands a smarter and more thorough approach to security. Windows 10 inherently addresses these security concerns, with focus on secure identities for both on-premise and cloud resources, information protection based on improved access policies, and hardware-based threat resistance. It’s an approach that aligns with published FDA industry guidance, setting expectations that OEMs will prioritize system security from development to deployment. OEMs must find a way to be responsive to these concerns, while protecting product lifecycles, including systems in the field.

Conclusion
Like it or not, Windows 7 support has an end date. Intel’s 6th Generation family of processors (formerly known as Skylake) is the last to support Windows 7, and chips such as Kaby Lake or AMD’s Zen are now officially supported only by Windows 10. It’s far better for OEMs to get in front of this challenge, before FDA guidance becomes mandated security controls. Smart, proactive strategies—based on insight from all aspects of the OEM organization—can reduce risk, avoid unnecessary validations, and sync up hardware, software, and OS lifecycles for a better overall infrastructure for application development.

Jeff Durst is the director of product management and solutions architect at Dedicated Computing. He ensures that Dedicated Computing’s product roadmap aligns with the company vision, and converts customer requirements into the architecture and design of the solutions. Durst taps into more than 30 years of technical and business leadership experience to guide Dedicated’s product strategies in healthcare, communications, military, aerospace, industrial, and scientific computing. You can connect with him via LinkedIn or email at jeff.durst@dedicatedcomputing.com.

To learn more about Dedicated Computing, visit //www.dedicatedcomputing.com

Media Contact

Gareth Harwood, Director of Marketing

262-953-1529 gareth.harwood@dedicatedcomputing.com