Three companies unite to integrate test systems

Sun Microsystems Computer Corp. (SMCC), Tektronix, Inc., and National
Instruments Corp.have entered into an alliance to develop, market, and
sell integrated test and measurement systems. The product line, called
Open Measurement Solutions (OMS), is based on industry-standard products
and will be built around Sparcstations and Sparcserver systems from SMCC,
VXI and GPIB (IEEE-488) instrumentation from Tektronix, and Labview
graphical applications software from National Instruments. The integrated
test systems will be targeted at industries such as aerospace, automotive,
telecommunications, and electronic design automation (EDA). It's the
contention of the alliance members that by joining forces they can provide
customers with the most comprehensive–yet open and flexible–test and
measurement solutions in the industry. At the start, one of the biggest
advantages going for the alliance is the many software instrument drivers
for Sun platforms and Tektronix instruments available from National
Instruments. (Interestingly, many of these are for Hewlett-Packard
instruments.) National expects to be introducing many more drivers for
instruments from a variety of manufacturers over the next few months. The
alliance will offer products through three channels, depending on the
level of system integration a customer needs. At the lowest level,
customers purchase system components directly from each of the three
companies and act as their own system integrator. At the next level, the
Tektronix Integration Center will serve as the system integrator, putting
together hardware and software products from all three companies to fit
the customer's specific application. The third level of integration
includes selected third-party system integrators and value-added resellers
who offer custom-integrated systems based on components or systems from
the three alliance companies. End-user software and system support will be
provided by National Instruments under a service contract. The alliance
seems to be taking dead aim at HP's Instrument Systems Division, believed
to be test and measurement's largest system integrator. And HP's VXI
Systems Division manager, Larry Desjardin, takes exception to the
alliance's contention that systems from other companies, and from HP in
particular, are not truly open. “Open architectures like VXI, and not
alliances, are what makes for open systems,” claims Desjardin. In fact, HP
has only recently speced a Tektronix VXI instrument into a test system put
together for an Instrument Systems Division customer, according to
Desjardin. All posturing aside, however, the alliance, considering the
expertise of the three companies involved, has the potential to become a
system integration powerhouse, perhaps even rivaling HP. If that happens,
the big winner will be those in need of test integration services.
–Warren Yates

CAPTION:

Open Measurement Solutions (OMS) will comprise Sparcstation and
Sparcserver systems from Sun Microsystems, VXI and GPIB instrumentation from
Tektronix, and software and instrument controller hardware from National
Instruments.