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A surprising number of companies make prodcts that are computers (e.g.
Dell, Apple) or that contain computers (e.g. Ford Motor Company, Vodaphone,
Sony).
These companies will also be users of ICT, of course, but they have a
need for more technical kinds of Computing expertise. Some of the needed
expertise is concerned with hardware, and some with the complex software
that interfaces to it.
Almost all of the job areas outlined for ICT users and for software suppliers
also exist within companies that manufacture products containing computers,
but there are also some specific skills in this area.
Embedded systems analysts / designer
The modern motorcar can contain up to 100 computers. These are embedded
systems - rather than having keyboards and screens, they have memory and
CPU on a chip in a box. They perform tasks such as monitoring the wheels
to detect when they are slipping, or controlling the timing and amount
of diesel fuel being used. In such systems, having the correct information
and performing actions at exactly the correct time are important issues,
and so this is an important specialised area of computing.
Development of new products
A team developing a product containing software will need all of the
skills that we mentioned for purely software products. In addition, it
will need people who understand how the hardware linked to the software
works (whether it is a child’s toy or a motorcar braking system).
There can be extra challenges in getting the interface correct between
the hardware and the software, and in proving that it is correct.
Safety-critical systems design
Some of the software embedded in a motorcar or a plane or nuclear power
plant has the potential to injure people if it goes wrong. The level of
care taken in designing such systems must be greater than for less dangerous
systems. There are tools and techniques for such work that aren’t
used for simpler systems.
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