Tutorial and Seminar Program Aids Developers in Selecting COTS Technologies and Vendors

Citation

(2002), "Tutorial and Seminar Program Aids Developers in Selecting COTS Technologies and Vendors", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 74 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2002.12774aab.020

Tutorial and Seminar Program Aids Developers in Selecting COTS Technologies and Vendors

Keywords: COTS, Technology, Training

SKY Computers, Inc., a subsidiary of Analogic Corporation (NASDAQ-ALOG), recently announced the availability of a tutorial program that provides a framework for the evaluation of COTS, rugged COTS and mission critical 44 extreme" COTS electronics technologies and vendors. Called "Mission Ready COTS", the program provides defenso and military developers with a guide to selecting technologies and vendors across the COTS electronics landscape.

According to Ed Hennessy, SKY vice president for world-wide sales, marketing and business development, "The Mission Ready COTS program is unique in the COTS industry in that it lays out a complete decision making framework for how to evaluate COTS technologies for rugged and extreme environments and then steps through the processes of how to move forward in applying technology to mission critical problems. We have capitalised on SKY's 20+ years of defenso experience and married it with the extensive experience of our packaging partner, AES, to present the industry with the definitive guide on COTS, ROTS and ECOTS."

The Mission Ready COTS toolkit is an extensive book and accompanying workbook that can be independently reviewed by the developer or in conjunction with SKY's military/defense experts. SKY Computers also offers Mission Ready COTS as a no cost seminar program. The Mission Ready COTS seminar will be given as an adjunct to the Commercialisation of Military and Space Electronics conference in February 2002 in Los Angeles, California. Seminars can also be scheduled on site at a developer or integrator location. Developers can contact their local SKY representative to schedule a seminar, or can send email to info@skycomputers.com to request a seminar at their location.

Offered free in print and downloadable from www.skycomptuers.com, the new Mission Ready COTSguide reviews the following evaluation criteria with particular focus on the needs of programs that are being deployed to the field.

(1) Trends in COTS Electronics: COTS is being used in more extreme environments and on more deployed programs. Component level COTS is migrating to subsystem level COTS.

(2) Decision Considerations: Which programs are candidates for COTS and which require development beyond COTS. How to evaluate vendor methodologies and capabilities.

(3) Program Requirements: Specifying the environmental requirements for COTS. Considerations for obsolescence management, software migration strategies, and components vs. systems.

(4) Selecting the COTS Product: Matching the program requirements to COTS products/vendors. Partitioning a system for maximum COTS usability. Trade offs in packaging.

(5) System Maintenance and Lifecycle issues: Planning for obsolescence, technology insertion issues, upgrades and the technology performance curve.

(6) Test and Qualification of COTS: Using qualification data from COTS vendors, specifying ESS at the COTS level vs. the systems level.

(7) Adapting COTS for Unique Programs: Why and how to utilise COTS technology vs. custom designs. How to work with vendors to repackage or license COTS technology.

(8) Working with COTS vendors: Beyond technology to lifecycle costing and maintenance issues. Product support for the life of the platform.

The accompanying workbook includes two sections, the first provides evaluation templates that can be used by the developer to self-design the optimum solution to his/her program. The second part outlines the SKY Computers stage approach to solution planning, called SKY Solution Planning (SSP).

SSP is a five-step process that SKY uses in every program review which includes: evaluation, conceptual design, proposal development, pre-production, and production/roll out. The outcome is always specifically designed to each developers needs.

The Mission Ready COTS guide and accompanying workbook now available for distribution. To order copies call SKY Computers at 1-978-2501920, or send email to info@skycomputers.com .

Details available from: Sky Computers, Inc., Tel: +1 978 250 1920.