The value system and practices that embody Agile Software Development have been around for well over a decade, and have been touted as having "crossed the chasm" by organizations such as the Agile Alliance, Gartner, and Forrester Research. Numerous studies indicate...
High Tech
5 Unix Commands You Might Not Be Using (But Should Be!)
Pretty much every day I do some system administration on one of our many Linux servers that we support as part of our managed IT services. It occurred to me that I use a bunch of utilities and tools within Linux to make my job easier and wanted to share my top 5 Unix...
4 Hardware Recommendations when Using VMs as a Product Development Tool
These days, there is no practical obstacle to using machine virtualization to solve computing problems without the need of acquiring additional hardware. In fact, virtual machines are a compelling product development tool. There are a variety of virtualization tools...
3 Top Trends in Product Lifecycle Engineering Tools
Overview In 2015, SPK and Associates co-founder Chris McHale spoke with Peter Thorne, Director at Cambashi, a Cambridge, England-based independent industry analyst firm. With his over 30 years of experience as a software engineer user, vendor, and now analyst, Peter’s...
Nationwide Upgrade of Critical Medical Devices for Enhanced Hospital Operations
Medical device manufacturers know how rapidly technologies can change in the field. Ensuring you provide hospitals with innovative tools that meet regulatory requirements is vital. When a leading medical device manufacturer needed help upgrading software and hardware...
Navigating Tariffs: How SPK’s Expertise Can Lead to Enhanced Automation in U.S. Medical Device Manufacturing
Tariffs have long been a tool of economic strategy, but recent escalations are impacting U.S. manufacturers, especially in the medical device industry. From 10% baseline tariffs to 245% duties on Chinese imports, companies now face inflated costs and disrupted global...
AI Adoption Strategies: Finding the Right Balance Between Risk and Reward
The conversation around AI adoption speed often boils down to two opposing strategies: move fast and experiment, or proceed cautiously and wait for proven use cases. But what if the real key to success isn’t speed alone, but strategic adaptability? In a world where AI...
Accelerating Product Development the SPK Way
Developing high-quality products quickly can be a challenge without the proper tools, processes, and partners to help. Dive into this eBook to discover how partnering with SPK can help you achieve product development success.What You Will Learn In this eBook, we will...
5 Reasons Why Code Refactoring is Essential in 2025
Let’s talk about refactoring—because, let’s be real, if you’ve been around software development for even five minutes, you’ve probably heard the term thrown around. But what is it really? And why does it matter? More importantly, how does it change when we’re dealing...
The FDA UDI Rule: 5 Things You Need to Know
The release of the FDA final rule on Unique Device Identification (UDI) is expected this summer. Here are five things you need to know: 1. What is the UDI Rule? In July 2012, the FDA proposed a rule requiring medical device manufacturers to label their products with...
The Convergence of ALM and PLM in the Technology Industry
As more and more technology is embedded into products, and software continues its role as the primary driver for product innovation, the domains of application lifecycle management (ALM) and product lifecycle management (PLM) are being placed on an inevitable...
The IT Guy’s Backpack
I hate being unprepared. When I was in high school, I had a locker. I even had one of those clever plastic shelves and a magnetic mirror. You know what I stored in there? Nothing -- I spent far too much time watching MacGuyver. So I carried around all my books, pens,...