In 2021, the utility of IoT has expanded well beyond prior predictions. The world of today sports millions of devices that are either connected or can connect with other devices, thereby enhancing the reach of IoT, building it up as a crucial business strategy.
According to Statista, the number of IoT devices worldwide will triple from 8.74 billion in 2020 to 25.4 billion in 2030. But just as the adoption and deployment of IoT grow, so do the naysayers who continue to swear by closed proprietary systems that could cripple their growth in the long term.
IoT solutions find application in an exceptionally diverse set of scenarios. IoT is growing and evolving from a user's need for wireless connections to the requirement of automated connections between household devices to the mechanization of back-end systems and on to valuable data collection and interpretation. IoT is growing and evolving to match a myriad of utilities.
In today's fragmented, fast-moving market ecosystem, open-source technologies have begun to play a mission-critical role in eliminating the challenges faced by enterprises using obsolete and siloed propriety systems that would cost a bomb to remodel for current usage levels.
Join us as we delve into the key channels of why Open Source is the best way to develop IoT capabilities. So without further ado, let's get to it.
Advantages of Open Source for IoT Development
Utilizing open source technology as a business model while developing IoT solutions can offer a wide set of advantages. Across industry verticals, to achieve maximum efficiencies, enterprises need to tailor their IT assets in a way that unifies hardware and software tools for enhanced data mobility.
In such a scenario, open-source development frameworks are the ideal options. Given that open source development can create tools like edge-programmable controllers with complete customizability, IoT stands to benefit from the sheer adaptability of an open-source development framework. Delving into further detail, here are some of the major advantages of deploying open-source frameworks for IoT development or opting for IoT development services.
1. Access to free and innovative technology
Most enterprises today opt for open source technologies for their IoT needs. From Linux to Kubernetes and onto Eclipse stacks like Eclipse Hono, Eclipse Ditto, Eclipse hawkBIT, and Eclipse Vorto, these stacks form the basis of cutting-edge, innovative IoT tech that power high-value physical world solutions and subsequently aid in customer success. Given that enterprises have free access to these frameworks and stacks thanks to their open-source licenses, enterprises across geolocations, scope, and vertical now have free access to the latest innovative technologies.
2. Freedom to experiment
In the scenario where developers are working on open source technologies, a greater sense of freedom prevails. If a developer makes a mistake, his organization doesn't have to pay for it. This, in turn, encourages development teams to take greater risks and be more experimental In their approach towards product development, often leading to creating one-of-a-kind, innovative solutions.
The developers do not require permissions to download or tweak an existing project, allowing for rapid prototyping and proof of concepts.
3. Community support
Open source communities are replete with detailed tutorials, documentation, custom add-on and lug-ins, and ongoing webinars and reference articles that facilitate a smooth learning curve for the developer. Along with these resources, the online community is ready to help developers smooth out errors, fix bugs, and even hand-holding them until they are up to scratch. Through community support, your development team can learn about the open source technology your enterprise has settled upon and get quick answers to their queries, enabling them to become more confident and adept in the open-source technology you have chosen for your IoT development.
4. A better method to build software
Open source development allows product development teams to be more agile, flexible, and faster. The team's cumulative development effort itself is more effective and efficient. Open source teams are usually divided into smaller, independently functioning agile micro teams. Given that open-source frameworks function on an ethos of code-sharing and transparency, enhance collaboration among micro teams, speed up knowledge transfers, and results in faster development times. The overall effect of utilizing open source technology facilitates the creation of high-quality tech assets in a comparatively shorter time. Even if you choose to outsource software development, there is a strong chance that your partner will work on an open-source framework.
5. Better customer interactions
Given that open-source projects are developed with free access, even the end user/customer can participate in the development process. Customers can monitor the evolution of features, upvote features they like and vice-versa, and help with the detection and elimination of bugs and errors. Customers can create bug reports or even send in feature ideas to the developers making the end product 'by the people, for the people.' Jokes aside, customers can download early releases and test them in environments of their choice to check appeal and functionality, and utility. This transparency offered by open-source IoT development greatly improves the relationship the enterprise has with its customers.
6. Better partner collaborations
Utilizing open-source frameworks allows for collaboration with partners and a vibrant development community that adds immense value to the developed IoT product. Such collaborations bring a bevy of diverse perspectives, use cases, and skills to the development initiative, resulting in creating better technology for the customer.
7. Investment stability
While working on open source technologies, developers and users can freely share, distribute and modify project code with license teams. With open source technologies, the company building the project no longer depends on a single vendor or proprietary platforms. With open-source frameworks deployed to IoT development, projects are now supported by participants of all types from within the community. This allows the enterprise to build its project on a solid foundation, ensuring a stable future for its business endeavors powered by IoT capabilities.
In summation
Software product development is now necessary for every enterprise, be it a customer-facing app or an internal system. Trade pundits predict that open source is the future of all IoT software development initiatives, given that community participation instantly adds value to the IoT development process.
On the software side, when you choose a development partner deploying open-source frameworks in their IoT software product development services, it can help development teams with a solid foundation to build upon and offer a headstart that enables bringing the product to market a lot faster.
Unlike proprietary IoT solutions where support is handled by the original vendor (whose plan might or might not align with your business goals,) open-source IoT solutions ensure the longevity of the IoT product, future-proofing it with all the tools required to keep it relevant in the face of rapid market evolutions and customer requirement alterations, thus accelerating innovation.
To further add to the industry's advances, enterprises across the globe are committing to standard-based open source strategies now critical to the evolution of IoT innovations and laying the groundwork for a more connected world.