The lines between embedded and enterprise computing are blurring. As embedded devices become more and more networked, they form a perimeter at the edge of our enterprise data centers and a rich source of real-time, real-world information.

These newcomers to the enterprise are coming of age. Embedded computing is moving beyond the world of hidden computing and a behind-the-scenes role in military and industrial applications. Embedded applications are no longer bench projects hacked together by a few elite engineers. Embedded computing now comprises mainstream applications that are a part of our daily lives and it is big business.

As the embedded computing industry evolves to support an ever-growing range of capabilities and features, embedded applications are becoming increasingly complex. Take, for example, our cell phones. They not only make calls, but send and receive text messages, surf the Internet, take photographs, and play music. While these devices pack more hardware into a given space to enable these features, they are fundamentally driven and operated by software. We've gone from a few thousand lines of code in mobile phones 10 years ago to millions of lines of code today, running on full-fledged, 32-bit, multitasking embedded operating systems.

With the software content in electronic products doubling every two years, manufacturers are finding they can no longer do everything themselves. To keep up, companies employ more engineering resources across the globe. Today, embedded-software development involves a global supply chain of engineers, offshore outsourcers, open source and third-party software vendors. All of them are delivering hundreds of software components (see Figure 1).