Blackberry continues its foray into the health IT field with this week's launch of a new operating system for medical devices.
Developed by QNX Software Systems Limited, a Blackberry subsidiary, the QNX OS for Medical 1.1 aims to help manufacturers reduce development costs by ensuring compliance with software life cycle process standards, thereby speeding the path to regulatory approval.
"When it comes to medical device software, the OS sets the tone: unless it provides the architecture to enable reliable operation and a clear audit trail to substantiate claims about its dependability, the entire process of device approval can be put in jeopardy," said Grant Courville, director of product management at QNX Software Systems, in a news release. "By providing an OS that has been independently verified to comply with the IEC 62304 standard, we are helping manufacturers reduce the cost and effort of developing devices that require regulatory approval."
The new OS is aligned with Blackberry's recent efforts to balance out declining sales of its eponymous smartphone by focusing on industries where stringent regulatory demands mean the market will bear higher-margin software that meets government standards.
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