In earlier embedded applications, end users had no reason to care what sort of software came deployed in devices: Systems and peripherals either functioned well or did not, and the embedded operating system and applications that powered them remained out of sight and out of mind. In the past three years, however, underlying Linux and open-source deployment in intelligent IT infrastructure devices has grown to levels equaling or surpassing server-side use.

According to Venture Development Corp., 29 percent of embedded 32- and 64-bit application designs were built using Linux in 2005, with communications being the top application area. This ubiquitous adoption opens new avenues for IT professionals to control and customize formerly fixed-function devices in their fleets, with tangible benefits realizable in performance, security and manageability.

The open-source operating system is everywhere; unlike its proprietary predecessors, it is no longer hidden away deep inside devices. IT professionals -- from systems administrators to IT directors to CIOs -- can leverage the increasing use of Linux in intelligent devices as part of their strategies for enterprise application and service delivery.

Common protocols

The emergence of standards-based technologies, such as TCP/IP and HTTP, has eased the task of acquiring, integrating, provisioning, deploying and maintaining all classes of devices. Before such protocols, each class of device -- indeed, each device itself -- was likely to use unique and incompatible interfaces, creating complexity for IT professionals and raising costs throughout the life cycle.