Software vs Hardware: What is trending now and who owns the future?

The product model in its pure form does not stand competition against rapidly changing technology. Product companies often use the same technology in their work, from the solution architecture point of view it is almost always the same product. Nowadays, it makes no sense to have only one product. For example, we used to work with Pentium 4 for several years and feel comfortable, now new processors are produced almost every day. There is no sense in becoming attached to one thing. Customers are no longer interested in working with hundreds and thousands of contractors to create a product. They are interested in competencies and technology which allow them to solve complex tasks. Having dozens of years of experience in software development, EPAM decided to add practices on electronics and hardware to offer their customers a new level of service. It all began with a small group of enthusiasts at EPAM Garage.

Siarhei Boika, Director of Embedded and IoT practice at EPAM.

We began with small research projects, focused on studying various technologies, validation and testing theories, assumptions, or our guesses. All this time we recruited people with a classical engineering background who work with their hands, proficiently work with machines and mechanisms, and create these mechanisms.

To provide increased complexity solutions, EPAM began to attract talents from various fields.

Vitaliy Bozhkov, Chief Operating Officer of Embedded and IoT practice at EPAM.

We develop expertise by improving the engineering level and gain new knowledge about technological trends in the global market. We attract experienced professionals who help us build processes in this practice. We also attract knowledge from other sources, for example, we put into service manufacturers of electronic components and specialized contractors.

Thanks to our professional team, the project grew into a new brand “Physical Technology Practice”, which includes:

1. RnD group. Here we have a team of Industrial Designers, Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Firmware Developers, who are involved in product development.
2. Made Real Lab. Production, control and measuring equipment for solving the issues of rapid prototyping, testing, and metrological support.

What we have already done:

• In Minsk, we have a large team of 40–50 people: design engineers, electronic designers and firmware developers, engineers—those who are involved in turning engineering ideas into prototypes.
• In the development team, we also have highly qualified Quality Assurance & Compliance specialists, who ensure that the development process meets the company’s quality management system and industry standards.
• In collaboration with specialists from the USA, Switzerland, Hungary, and other countries we are implementing a project for our large customer—we are developing an automated medical laboratory for diagnostic research.

What we are working on:

• Creating the RnD group and Made Real Lab.
• Creating the logistics base, we purchase equipment for rapid prototyping and testing.
• Preparing for certification to ISO 13485.

Kiryl Yatsko, Head of Physical Technology Practice at EPAM.

Our goal is to create an engineering department with pilot production, where we can create complex solutions for our customers, making real their bold ideas. For this, we need professionals who want to work with advanced technologies and develop in their field.

Siarhei Boika, Director of Embedded and IoT practice at EPAM.

The team members working on the project are from Europe, the USA and other countries. Of course, the English language and the desire to immerse yourself into a new field is a great advantage for specialists who want to work with us. After all, they must read the documentation in a foreign language and communicate with foreign colleagues. The most important thing is to love what you do, be able to learn, and have a desire to change the world.

Now, EPAM can perform a range of services from selecting materials, components, architecture design, mechanical and electronic systems to building software at the lower and upper levels, creating a platform or specialized applications, collecting analytics, introducing computer-aided learning and virtual reality elements within one complex product. There are difficulties in working on such a large-scale project.

Siarhei Boika, Director of Embedded and IoT practice at EPAM.

The complexity of such projects is much higher than the development of a software product because the development of IoT solutions often requires a team, which involves experts from completely different fields. These are software engineers, mechanical engineers, electronic engineers, industrial designers—and such a mixed team should work together, starting from the very first stage.

Kiryl Yatsko, Head of Physical Technology Practice at EPAM.

The higher and more effective this interaction is, the more the final product and its functionality and appearance will benefit from this. Do not forget that the team on the project works under certain restrictions: designer engineers depend on the materials and technologies used, electronic engineers depend on the available component base on the market, software developers depend on the range of controllers, chips and processors.

Among other things, to release a product into mass production, you need to think about its cost, ergonomics, functionality, appearance, and competitiveness. It is very important to maintain balance. We can develop a product with the most “rich content”, but it will be heavy, off-quality, and terribly expensive. Or, we can make a device of high-quality and beautiful, but completely useless. Due to many tasks, difficulties and limitations, the likelihood of failures in hardware is much higher than in IT, but this makes our work even more interesting.