Speaker: Ronald J. Kohl Titan Systems Corporate
rjkohl@prodigy.net

Abstract:

Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) products are being considered for inclusion in ever more complex and critical systems. There are clearly advantages to consider the use of COTS in such complex or critical systems but given the rigorous needs of such critical systems or subsystems, there have begun to emerge concerns about the suitability of COTS for such applications. This talk hopes to identify some of the characteristics of Mission Critical systems that makes the selection process of COTS products (h/w, s/w, subsystems, etc) an emerging factor in total system acceptance. This talk will also suggest a path towards creating a set of ``best practices'' that would assist both the acquisition community as well as the development/integration community in this area.

Mission Critical System characteristics such as reliability, safety, availability, maintainability and certification tend to influence whether or not COTS should be considered for a given application. Once the suitability of COTS has been determined, then it is possible that additional requirements may be placed on the product and/or the product's vendor for such Mission Critical applications. Further, it is possible that certain system requirements and expectations may need to be modified because of the inclusion of COTS products into that system. As COTS products continue to be considered as candidates for inclusion within Mission Critical systems, there are likely to be additional concerns and factors to emerge that will influence how both acquirers and suppliers decide if and/or when to use COTS products. Ongoing monitoring of this technology area seems to be warranted.