Firmware is software that's embedded in a piece of hardware and programmed into memory contained in the hardware itself. Modern commercial foodservice equipment of all kinds utilize control boards and keypads where the operation, inputs, and outputs of those devices are manged and processed by firmware. Firmware may be periodically updated to accommodate feature additions, processing upgrades, menu additions and more. Updates may be onboarded either over the air or via a physical port and cable connection. Most commonly, firmware update payloads are delivered via an SD card, USB stick, laptop, or other portable electronic storage device.