Embedded developers face mounting pressure on security

Developers and software engineers face mounting pressure to balance rapid innovation with safety and security, says software provider BlackBerry Limited. The company released the results of its survey of 1,000 embedded software developers and engineers worldwide on October 8.

The survey found growing tensions between meeting tight project deadlines and maintaining functional safety, according to the report. The research is pertinent to the company’s BlackBerry QNX real-time OS and software for embedded systems.

BlackBerry found that 75% of respondents acknowledge that urgency often forces them to compromise on key safety requirements. While developers cite security (54%), cost control (52%), and safety certifications (48%) as their top considerations when selecting an operating system, the survey also highlights significant downstream challenges in these areas that have made the vast majority (74%) of respondents open to changing their existing OS. Of those who must meet international safety standards, 61% say it is extremely or very challenging to meet these specific standards with their current operating system. Security concerns (36%) and lackluster performance issues (28%) are two main reasons respondents are considering changing their current OS.

Open source operating systems are the preferred foundational platform for almost half (44%) of developers, with an additional 25% indicating no preference between open source and proprietary offerings. Open source platforms often are adopted within development environments due to familiarity with the technology and open availability. But these do not carry the same safety certifications as many proprietary options that go through rigorous verification and testing to achieve validation and verification, BlackBerry said.

Developers are under pressure to meet deadlines and budgets, which is why pre-certified software is important to enabling organizations to meet goals without compromise, according to BlackBerry. The survey also revealed that nearly a third (31%) of all respondents admitted their OS lacked the necessary safety certifications or only had some of them covered. Security also remains a pain point for developers, particularly for open source operating systems, which are more likely to experience a breach. BlackBerry is promoting its own BlackBerry QNX portfolio as helping safety certification, reliability, and reduction in development time.