How to Choose the Best Embedded Solutions Company for Your Project
19 April 2023
Developing an embedded system is a demanding process requiring strong expertise and robust development practices. To ensure the success of your project, you need a trusted embedded solutions company who will meet your business needs. Yet, choosing the right experts from the vast number of companies in the market can be a challenging task.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of tips to help you make an informed decision and choose a truly reliable embedded technology partner for your next project.
However, let’s start from the very beginning and consider why you should work with an embedded technology partner in the first place.
Why work with an embedded solutions company?
Benefit from end-to-end development
The right partner will take care of the entire cycle of embedded system development: from initial analysis and requirements gathering, through software engineering and testing, to system integration, maintenance and support. You receive a complete solution and full control over your systems.
Optimize development costs
Handing your project to an external embedded development team lowers labor costs and eliminates hiring and training expenses. You get access not only to the best talent but also to your partner’s technical tools, resources and equipment.
Accelerate time to market
An embedded solutions company will help you map out the development cycle to mitigate potential risks and optimize efficiency. They will streamline the processes, ensuring that your solution meets all safety and security standards.
Tap into the best talent
Due to talent shortage, recruiting top engineers in the embedded industry isn’t easy. Collaborating with an embedded technology partner, you gain access to a large talent pool with a wide range of skills. Moreover, even if your project requires a small engineering team, you still benefit from the wider knowledge base and know-how spread across your partner’s company.
Leverage your partner’s expertise
An embedded solutions company has experience working with clients in a variety of industries using different technologies. You get access to niche technical capabilities beyond the expertise of your in-house team.
How to search for an embedded solutions company?
A challenge you’ll probably encounter when searching for embedded solutions company is the fact that most major online company listing platforms such as Clutch or GoodFirms simply do not include this category of services. It is much easier to find companies that, for example, specialize in mobile or web development just because they’re listed under these categories. The lack of dedicated listings for embedded technology companies is surprising given the current growth of the embedded industry.
As such, you’ll likely need to conduct your research manually. You’ll find the information embedded solutions providers on company websites, portfolios and referrals.
But what criteria should you focus on? Below, we present a list of top things to consider when looking for an embedded technology partner.
How to choose the embedded solutions company?
Look for expertise in embedded
When conducting your research, you’re likely to encounter companies, both small and large, that offer all kinds of software development services. In their case, embedded development can be put under one umbrella with mobile, cloud computing and video game development. Keep in mind that embedded development is a complex process that requires highly skilled professionals and their knowledge must be deep enough for your project. Look for companies that focus their expertise on embedded technologies to make sure that they will deliver the work according to the highest standards.
Review the services
Your project may require the development of a small block or the creation of an entire system. That’s why it is important to consider if services offered by an embedded solutions company cover all aspects of your project whether it’s R&D, system integration or quality assurance. The right partner will be able to provide you with a complete, end-to-end solution.
Go through the portfolio of projects
Search for companies that have been in the embedded market for years and have a strong track record of successful projects in different industries. Focus on projects related to your field—look at the technologies they use, the services they deliver, and whether this experience suffices your project needs. It is also a good idea to gather real customer feedback from the company’s previous clients through customer reviews and testimonials.
Look at the technology stack
The set of technical skills required for your project will largely depend on your project type and specifications. Pay special attention to embedded programming languages, operating systems as well as communication interfaces and protocols the company uses.
Research the team of engineers
Different projects require different team compositions and expertise, but there are some key skills an experienced embedded software engineer should possess:
- 3-5 years of experience with programming
- knowledge of communication protocols
- expertise in General-Purpose Operating Systems : Linux and Windows as well as Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) such as FreeRTOS and VxWorks
- experience with hardware architecture
- knowledge of networking technologies
Make sure security and reliability standards are in place
You want to ensure that your system will be secure and work as required. Check if the embedded solutions company adheres to the latest security standards in the field. When embedded systems aren’t connected to the web, they’re relatively secure as they cannot be accessed from the outside. Yet, more and more often embedded devices are part of the IoT networks which makes them prone to hacker attacks.
Similarly, ask the company about its quality assurance and project documentation procedures. Detailed documentation will allow you to track the progress and update and maintain the system in the future.
Consider costs in the long-term
Costs should definitely be considered in the search process but they should not remain the only factor when making the decision. Remember that low-cost embedded solutions providers are less likely to meet all your project requirements. Choosing a quality partner will help you save money in the long term and avoid costly adjustments in the future.
Think about geography
Asia and Eastern Europe are the two most common destinations for companies looking for embedded solutions providers. While Asia offers lower rates, Eastern Europe combines reasonable pricing with high-quality service and a nearshore experience, which makes it more attractive for western businesses.
Poland is the biggest market in the region in terms of embedded software development. The country offers a vast talent pool, strong tech education and exceptional performance. This is one of the reasons why Tronel is based in Cracow, the country’s tech hub and home to leading universities.
Why choose Tronel as your embedded solutions company?
- Tronel has over a decade of experience in the embedded solutions market. We focus solely on embedded technologies, which remains our main specialization.
- Our team consists of over 60 engineers with a strong academic background and experience in dozens of embedded technologies. Our engineers possess advanced knowledge of low-level programming languages (C, C++, FPGA).
- We deliver complete, end-to-end embedded solutions, from R&D and IT consulting, through software engineering, to system integration and quality assurance.
- We’ve completed over 100 projects from international clients from various industries. Our diverse portfolio of projects ranges from small systems for data logging to sophisticated embedded software for telecommunication devices.
- We have our own in-house R&D laboratory where we test and integrate hardware and software systems.
- We adhere to the highest quality and security standards throughout the entire development cycle.
