Microsoft Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC for Arm: Industry and Use-Case Deep Dive

While doing research for my previous articles covering Microsoft Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC for Arm, I came across an interesting description of the kinds of devices Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC is designed to be used for. In the Microsoft documentation, they describe Windows IoT Enterprise as the foundation of “fixed purpose devices," versus the more common general-purpose Windows versions used on laptops and desktops that you are probably familiar with. Microsoft provides the following definition for “fixed purpose devices."

Fixed purpose devices: Windows is well known as the operating system for laptops and desktops that have been used by consumers and businesses worldwide for decades. Windows also powers many ATM machines, point-of-sale terminals, industrial automation systems, thin clients, medical devices, digital signage, kiosks, and other fixed purpose devices. Windows IoT Enterprise allows you to build these fixed purpose devices with specific allowances and restrictions in the license agreement.

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/iot/iot-enterprise/Overview

Thinking about this more, these are things that have a single task which relies on compute and connectivity, but are not regular computers intended to perform your daily work and home activities. (At least not until some Hackster reader out there gets creative!)

In this scenario, Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC is simply a building block for a product, and a means to enable a higher-level functionality or task for a product or solution. The stability, consistent feature-set, long term support, reduced licensing costs, and lower hardware requirements are key selling points for Microsoft when targeting a business or enterprise that is building a thing. Individual users and home hobbyist developers are not the intended audience for Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC. However, there are indeed millions of Microsoft developers out there, covering a wide range of technologies such as cloud / Azure, .NET, security, SQL and databases, office productivity and automation, game development, Visual Studio, and many more. The types of applications, services, games, and code they are writing all work seamlessly on Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC, and companies can take advantage of these existing developer skillsets they have on their teams.

The last piece of the puzzle is the “for Arm” at the end of the product name: Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC for Arm. Because the goal is to build a fixed purpose device, hardware is simply a component cost, and minimizing the bill of materials or using hardware that is just enough to perform the task in a reliable and consistent way is a priority. Here, transitioning from x86 to Arm-based SoC’s from Qualcomm or NXP can offer cost savings, reduced power requirements, smaller board sizes, and more. At scale, these savings add up for enterprises, significantly impacting profitability of their product. With all of this context, let’s take a closer look at some of the places Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC for Arm excels.

Automated teller machines

There is a long history of Windows at the heart of ATMs, as Microsoft has a strong presence in the banking and financial services industry. With Windows-powered backoffice applications and servers, branch and employee PCs, and Microsoft communications software already in use at many banks and financial institutions, product and technical development of ATMs has naturally gravitated towards Windows as well. Earlier generations of ATMs ran on a platform called Windows CE, as well as versions of Windows XP Embedded and Windows 7 Embedded, which were predecessors to the current generation of Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC. More information on that journey is available in Martin Grossen's post here.

Modern ATMs have advanced features such as touchscreens, the ability to read cash and checks being deposited into the machine, dispense cash (of course!), and communicate across a bank’s network to display a wide variety of information. At the core however, is a compute engine running a single application that is launched each and every time upon boot, with modest screen size and graphics capability. This makes ATMs a perfect candidate for Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC for Arm, where simplified hardware can be developed due to the SoC being highly integrated, with most interfaces and capabilities handled directly in the SoC. Standardized communication with card readers, touch panels, cash cartridges, a receipt printer, the numerical keypad, and other components are all possible, making development and integration easy. The Long Term Support Channel offered by Microsoft is also critical, as governmental regulation and certification processes can take years from the start of development, until the time that a bank takes delivery of a new unit from the manufacturer. Then there is a long operational lifetime of the unit once it’s placed out in the field.

If you happen to see an ATM being serviced and rebooted, take a moment to watch it boot up… you might just see the Windows logo like Redditor *tamay-idk* did.

Display advertising

Another industry that is well served by Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC for Arm is the display advertising business. Display advertising comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes, but ultimately each device deployed into the field is responsible for showing predetermined content on a screen. The largest examples of this technology are roadside digital billboards with screens advertising a product or service, in the same way that traditional billboards on the side of a road or highway are use for marketing and advertising as drivers pass by. In the case of digital billboards however, they can rotate ads on set intervals, and the content being displayed can be updated remotely (and instantly!), versus traditional large form-factor prints that are placed on a regular billboard. Moving from outdoor to indoor spaces, the same technology is commonly used in airports, hotels, and even fast-casual restaurants where digital menu boards have replaced printed or backlit menu boards above the counter, making it easy to update pricing, menu items, or highlight specials.

In each case, the display is typically an LCD panel for interior displays, or an ultra-bright modular LED panel (such as this) for outdoor use. Driving the display is a compute and connectivity, again just enough to render an image and communicate to backend services that provide the ad content. The device only has a single function: boot-up, load the advertising software, check for any new content, and display it full-screen. Once again, this can be easily and cost-effectively handled by a small NXP or Qualcomm SoC with long-term hardware availability, and Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC can ensure security updates are delivered to the device, while features and functionality remain consistent over the long field life of the unit.

Kiosks

Self-service digital kiosks have become common across a wide variety of industries, helping to reduce the number of people waiting in lines for services and payments. Kiosks can handle transactions such as airport check-in and ticketing, restaurant and fast-food ordering, parking payments, mail and shipping at the Post Office, movie theater ticket purchase, patient check-in at hospitals or medical offices, bicycle rentals, retail and grocery self-checkout, and more. Many kiosks have integrated card readers to take payments, UPC barcode scanners, receipt printers, or even passport scanners in the case of the airlines, though others are more limited and can only display, collect, or update information via user input. In nearly all cases though, the kiosk connects to backend services over the internet when it is looking up a user’s account, displaying information, collecting and recording a payment transaction, or receiving input from a user.

Similar to the examples above, when a kiosk is powered on or reset, a small computer loads a single application and renders output on a touchscreen, or perhaps if there is no touch input then a series of buttons or keyboards can be used to interact with the machine. Here again just enough compute capability in order to launch Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC, connect to backend databases and credit card processors, and seamless security updates are the product requirements for a kiosk manufacturer to consider when building a machine, and corporate customers or owners who are installing the device for their end-users will also care about.

Medical devices

While the first several examples above have all been dedicated to helping customers save time or gather information, there are other industries that also need embedded compute for single, fixed purposes devices. Modern medical equipment is another category of things that are perfect for Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC for Arm.

Hospital technology such as MRI machines and CT Scanners, surgical equipment, and patient monitoring systems are just some of the applications have all become “edge compute devices” at this point. MRI and CT Scan machines have integrated control units that direct and operate the machine, render images in real time, and connect to backend doctor and patient software and records systems. Perhaps easier to visualize however, are the electronic patient monitoring systems that are now commonplace in emergency rooms and hospital rooms. These devices collect and render a patient’s vitals such as blood oxygen level and pulse among others, with the ability to record and store information and connect to the hospital IT infrastructure. Underlying the device, like in all or our examples, is a computer, operating system, and application that gets launched when the system is plugged in and turned on. With the additional aspect of FDA regulation and necessary certification processes for these devices before they can be placed in service, the Long Term Service Channel provided by Microsoft is a selling point that a device maker can rely on when bringing a product to market.

Gaming

The last industry we’ll explore is the gaming industry, which may not be an obvious location that one would find Microsoft Windows, but have a look at this sample stock photo of a modern slot machine that could be found in any number of casinos around the world.

This particular unit may or may not be running Windows, but we’ll use it an example. It contains three independent displays, including the main curved panel, the circular "wheel" LCD up top, and a smaller user interface touchscreen on the console. There is also a card reader and a cash collection unit, buttons, and a printer that can dispense a ticket with a barcode associated to an account and value. Visually, this unit is quite impressive, but functionally it is not much different than the other examples outlined above. It needs to boot up and run a very specific application, connect to the casino’s IT infrastructure and backend databases, and keep an ongoing journal of player activity with constant updates to the casino’s accounting and gaming services. The large, high-resolution panel might require more GPU power than smaller screens found on some of those example devices above, but ultimately the concept is the same. Like the banking and medical industries, gaming is an industry that is highly regulated and governed, with long approval and certification times. Beyond that, there are many years of operational lifetime once a casino takes delivery of a new unit from the manufacturer of the slot machine. Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC for Arm can be a great foundation for this type of product, with it’s easy integration to existing hardware, infrastructure, and application stacks, as well as its 10-year support commitment from Microsoft.

What other industries make sense?

These are just some of the places that Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC for Arm is a great candidate for use, or is already in use. But there are plenty more where the customization flexibility, long term security updates, and lower cost of licensing make sense for fixed purpose devices. What are some others you can think of? Let me know in the comments below! And if you’re ready to begin experimenting with (or deploying) Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC for Arm, be sure to reach out to Avnet to get started!