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115-Strong Offshore Development Center (ODC)

Flash memory firmware competency center
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The client is a global leader in flash memory storage solutions. They were looking for a partner to develop firmware for their products.

Project Information
Engagement model

Dedicated Development Team

Methodology

Agile

Team
115

Embedded Engineers

More Details

Problem

The client wanted to upgrade their flash memory devices and needed a firmware developer. They teamed up with Softeq to develop advanced encryption technology, AFM (Adaptive Flash Management) algorithms, firmware testing, and a visualization tool. Softeq was employed to develop the following components and software:

  • Firmware for industry-leading products

  • Firmware QA lab

  • Software models of hardware

  • Device drivers (SATA, SD, etc.)

  • Tools to visualize model and hardware state

  • Custom tools and frameworks for testing and diagnostics

  • Plugins and add-ins for IDEs 

The collaboration began as a small outsourcing project with a couple of firmware developers. A few years later, the project transformed into a full-fledged ODC with 115 seasoned embedded engineers.

Solution

115-Strong-Offshore-Development-Center

The Softeq team contributed to the client's AFM (Adaptive Flash Management) algorithms that enabled 32nm X3 technology go-to-market and witnessed major transitions to each new technological generation, from 43 nm through 32 nm to 24 nm. 

Our experts were involved in AFM technology development. It embraced development of powerful algorithms that helped bridge the gaps between the market benchmark parameters and those of brand-new generation flash memory.

The 5 crucial parameters are:

  • Cost per bit
  • Data retention
  • Endurance
  • Random R/W
  • Sequential R/W
Test Lab

The ODC's team has invaluable experience of setting up turn-key Test Labs on its premises. The one launched for the client back in early 2011 counted 25 remotely accessible PCs each facilitating several tested devices — up to 4 SSD per computer. All tests are managed from a single workstation. In case of a failure, a firmware engineer can access the workstation remotely from any geo location to contact the Test Lab admin, view the logs, and perform/request debugging. 

In addition, reusable tools created by the ODC allow performing the following activities:

Firmware Testing and Validation

  • Unit Testing
  • System Testing
  • Failure Analysis
  • Static code analysis
  • Continuous Integration

Firmware Performance Optimization

  • Failure analysis for legacy code
  • Optimization and refactoring of the legacy code
TrustedFlashTM

The ODC assisted in the development of an advanced encryption technology embedded into “tamper-proof” WORM-enabled SD cards built on the TrustedFlashTM platform with integrated digital rights management capabilities. Japan’s Police were among the early adopters of the technology. 

Viewer Tool

The Softeq experts helped develop the Viewer—an advanced tool for card model behavior visualization. It is used by multiple firmware engineers of the client's staff, as well as the ODC itself. The expertise of building this tool is utilized to develop analogous applications for other Flash-products.

Firmware Specific Skills

Programming languages: C, C++, Assembly languages, VHDL, Verilog

Domains:

  • Flash Memory
  • Embedded Storage Solutions
  • Networking / Communication protocols
  • Cryptography
  • Industrial equipment
  • Automation
  • Robotics

Architectures: ARM, ARC, IA-32, Intel® 64, DSP, FPGA

Operating Systems: MQX, Embedded Linux, Windows CE, QNX

Protocols: SCSI, eMMC, USB, SATA, SD/MS

General development skills

Programming Languages: Java, ASP.NET, JavaScript, Perl, Lua, C/C++, C#, Python

Protocols: TCP/IP, UDP, SOAP, JSON, SCSI, eMMC, USB, SATA, SD/MS

Databases: Mongo DB, MS SQL Server, My SQL, SQL Light

Libraries: LiWindows DDKs, MFC, ALT, WTL, STL, QT, Infragistics, Boost, DevExpress

Servers: Apache, SharePoint Server, IIS

Adoption of Corporate Culture

The client is a large international company with corporate HQ in California and locations mixed across multiple geographically distributed countries — all busy with R&D, product design, development and production — and branches on all continents.

When Softeq’s team joined in, one of the primary goals was to absorb the corporate culture, along with ensuring a smooth integration with their business processes. Intense communication using a handful of channels as well as two-way onsite visits, intercultural training for engineers and managers, and efficient human resource management facilitated fast onboarding of Softeq’s associates, even during times of high-pressure team ramp-up.

Knowledge Management

As the ODC expanded, knowledge transfer and expertise management became vital. To ensure the ODC became instantly efficient and the client was not overspending on idle time while key people were adopting the initial knowledge and assuming charge of the outsourced functions, Softeq suggested a custom knowledge transfer and onboarding approach. Our team managed to quickly delve into the work process and soon secured a respectful spot among the client's global development elite.

Security

Security has been one of the most challenging aspects of managing the ODC. Not only did we need to maintain the highest information security, protecting the client’s intellectual property and business-critical information, but also the IT infrastructure and the office space adhered to their very high IT Security standards. To comply with them and pass the security checks, and regularly reconfirm them, we built a multi-level security system involving physical and network office security, regular security training for staff, as well as DRM embedded on all ODC workstations to prevent unsolicited data copy and distribution.

The Softeq existing security controls reinforced with additional measures implemented within the ODC’s closed perimeter corresponded to the requirements of the ISO 27001 standard for Information security management systems, including physical and environmental security, human resource security and access control.

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Ibrahim
Ibrahim Regional Business Development
Manager, Americas