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By: Julia Nasy
20 Feb. 2023

IoT Software Development: the Future Today

11 mins read
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Over the past few years, the Internet of things (IoT) has become one of the most important technologies of our century. And connected devices with embedded sensors are more than just items for smart homes now. IoT impacts companies across industries: healthcare, agriculture, retail, logistics, security, and others. Moreover, smart gadgets are becoming inexpensive, affecting IoT development and expansion.

So, today, if you want your business to stay afloat, you need to think about IoT solutions right now. And you also need a reliable partner for successful technology implementation. Limestone Digital company specializes in IoT application development. Our team of experienced developers builds software for multiple sectors to connect the necessary devices in a network and make it easy to manage enterprise processes.

Are you still not sure about the necessity of IoT app development? It’s time to figure out how technology has dominated our lives, what profits it provides, and what challenges it successfully deals with. Learn more about IoT development, its bright future, benefits, and services available for your company from this article.

What is IoT Development?

IoT development services combine different activities, processes, and tools to create, design, deploy, and support Internet of things solutions. They involve configuration and coding tasks to build and maintain software and hardware aspects of an IoT product. And the result of this work is a system that can collect IoT data from multiple gadgets, then transfer, transform and analyze it for future decision-making. The priority of the development teams is transmitting real-time data without security and privacy breach.

As you can see now, creating such systems is a true challenge. The process involves different stages – from strategy development to integration of cloud and software with the entire work environment. It requires a complex of hardware devices, app platforms, and programming languages. Moreover, for a successful result, there must be a match between software development with hardware development.

And there is only one way to take all advantage of such systems – you need to invest in IoT development. Below we’ll discuss how the Internet of things positively affects different sectors and consider other reasons for IoT integration.

Industries Benefiting from IoT Applications

IoT systems, with their potential, have radically reshaped sectors all over the world. As a result, the Internet of things has become a new area of interest for businesses and entrepreneurs. Industries that are leading investments in this revolutionary technology are healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, automotive, and of course, smart homes.

Moreover, thanks to the Internet of things, such business fields as security, logistics, energy, and retail also can realize their full potential. And it continues to spread across the sectors! But for further discussion, let’s look at the top sectors benefiting from IoT.

IoT Devices in Manufacturing

Manufacturers have worked closely with companies that provide Internet of things development services in the last few years. Smart devices with embedded software improve production quality, ensuring the high reliability of products and services. They help track processes in multiple manufacturing sites simultaneously and identify equipment failure in real-time. It allows for avoiding delays, low-quality products, and staff injuries.

The industrial IoT uses machine learning, cloud computing, and other tools and technologies for smooth enterprise operations without human input. IoT platform helps connect devices, optimize resource allocation, and increase productivity.

The leading IoT-based mobile applications ensure the following benefits for manufacturers:

  • waste and cost reduction;
  • remote management;
  • improved facility services;
  • minimization of unnecessary work;
  • predictive maintenance;
  • supply chain optimization, and others.

Related reading: IoT in Manufacturing: The Ultimate Guide

Agriculture and the Internet of Things

The Internet of things revolutionized agriculture in recent years. Statistics of its usage in this industry are astonishing. It is expected to be more than 30 billion USD of the worldwide IoT market size of the agriculture sector by 2030. Modern farming is technology-driven and industrialized by technology embracing.

Smart agriculture involves multiple sensors to collect environmental and machine metrics. IoT data helps farmers improve different areas of their work – from livestock to crop cultivation. As a result, the need for physical work is eliminated, and productivity with workflow increases. IoT-based farming also has other advantages, like an efficient use of water and electricity, yield rate, or input optimization.

IoT Solutions in Healthcare

Connected healthcare is a big break for the industry. First, it is represented by multiple systems monitoring patients’ conditions and improving treatment. Moreover, IoT devices can track medical and diagnostic equipment. The main goals of IoT software in the healthcare sector are making correct decisions based on data analytics, smart treatment, and of course, patient satisfaction.

Additionally, IoT helps reduce the cost of medical services. Remote monitoring of patient’s health minimizes unnecessary visits and hospitalization through viable data collection and management. Connected devices also cut overall operational costs by shortening the length of the patient’s stay at a hospital and minimizing unessential tests and costly procedures.

Finance

As IoT software becomes increasingly secure, financial institutions have started to trust it more. And every modern bank interested in innovative products has its own IoT solution. Fintech needs products to process vast amounts of data, like how customers buy and spend money, their expectations, and their financial habits. And thanks to data processing, companies can collect much more information about their clients and thus offer personalized services.

IoT software in banking provides a lot of benefits:

  • improved quality of services;
  • asset management;
  • fraud detection;
  • remote control and automatization of business processes;
  • cost reduction;
  • enhanced financial security, and others.

Didn’t find your niche in the list above? Contact us to find out how your business can benefit from the Internet of things.

Why Invest in IoT Application Development?

The number of successfully implemented IoT solutions worldwide will double in the next decade. Logically, that companies that invested in IoT app development now will get the most out of technology possibilities in the future. And market leadership will belong to businesses that adopted the Internet of things in their enterprises years before. But innovation and competitiveness are not the last arguments for IoT development investment.

Big Data Trend

Big data is increasingly significant in making impactful business decisions every year. Companies use data gathering and data processing to enhance their performance. And data analytics provide new opportunities for organizations in the retail, environment, automotive, manufacturing, and other industries. Thanks to it, managers can plan their workflow more effectively, learn about consumer needs, and create more personalized products and services.

Embedded IoT devices gather massive amounts of data, which will be analyzed and translated into business decisions. The system analyzes IoT data in real-time and takes fast and appropriate action based on its conclusions.

Startup-focused IoT Development Services

The Internet of things applications provide vast opportunities not only for large businesses but startups. It can be a chance for entrepreneurs to establish strong relationships with reputable enterprises interested in implementing innovative products. Moreover, you can hit the market fast and receive funding to continue growth by developing IoT applications.

The Internet of things (IoT) is a prospective and profitable business niche for startups. For example, large enterprises suffer losses from slow and inefficient processes. And one of the possible options can be a search for a talented and reliable partner in their sector. In this case, a time-tested business buys out a promising startup to incorporate its ideas into the existing workflows.

Cost-Efficiency

The IoT helps streamline business performance with automation. It results in a significant reduction in expenses. Thanks to IoT platforms, enterprises can achieve minimal human participation, which causes cost reduction in employee recruitment and management.

Real-Time Remote Monitoring

Sensors embedded into IoT devices exchange data on process performance, workplace, and equipment conditions. Thus, managers don’t need to be in a workstation to know what is happening. Instead, a remote operator can monitor other workers, their location, and machines in real-time. In addition, the IoT solution provides you with production oversee and collected data storage in a cloud database.

Stages of Building IoT Software

Research, analysis, and prototyping

Custom software development starts from research. A team of tech experts analyzes the client’s requirements and evaluates the possibility of project implementation. After tech stack determination, IoT software development companies prove the concept. If there are no barriers at this step, the process goes to prototyping.

A prototype doesn’t have all features and functionalities of the end product, but it provides insights into what the finished IoT solution will look like. Moreover, it allows clients to reduce any risks. And the final step of this stage is project specification. It includes goals’ descriptions and technical details required for software developers to fulfill the client’s idea.

Design, Custom Software Development, and Testing

After all procedures of analysis and clarification, IoT developers can begin to design the software. First, the process requires established patterns for building Internet of Things architecture and application development. Then the software design is translated into source code.

The testing process, including quality assurance, starts as soon as the coding is complete. Developed systems are examing to detect software failures and review the product architecture and the overall design. Any found defects are assigned to the IoT developer to get them fixed.

Post-Production Support of IoT Solution

Once a product has been deployed, the critical maintenance phase begins. The fact is that the Internet of things software development life cycle never ends. It continues for the life of the IoT system.

Mobile developers constantly monitor IoT applications for any bugs and outdated functions. They also meet the customer’s needs. For example, when a client decides to make changes to the released product or to scale it, software developers provide these changes and different improvements for its development.

IoT Development Cost

Like any custom software development, IoT solution cost depends on project complexity. Many factors are considered to calculate the final amount, such as team size, experience, location, application platform, project duration, etc. That’s why it’s impossible to name the exact amount before the primary research and analysis are finished.

Depending on the company providing IoT development services, the payment can be of two types – time and materials contract or fixed fee. In the first case, the client pays after an agreed-upon work is delivered. And this payment of IoT apps is based on the agreed hourly or daily rate. It’s a flexible approach, but it may impact delivery time and budget.

The Fixed-Price contract gives clients less control over the quality of mobile applications. It assumes that the scope won’t change, which theoretically can cause mismatched expectations and requirements.

Reasons to Choose Limestone Digital as Your IoT Software Development Company

The Internet of things in business is not just a vision of the future. IoT projects are an opportunity for today and a true revolution in several industries. The technology can make your products and services more exciting for customers and the go-to choice over competitors. That’s why the Internet of things software development is in high demand. Startups and large enterprises want to reap the maximum benefits of it.

IoT application requires a high-level team of software developers and an individual approach for realization. And Limestone Digital experts will implement your idea regardless of its size and complexity. Our trusted specialists have expertise in various fields, building custom IoT solutions that meet industry standards. If you’re looking for a technology partner for your IoT software development journey, contact us and share your idea. We’re glad to help you create scalable and safe IoT products. Let’s turn your idea into reality together!

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