Memfault has released its inaugural benchmark report, The State of IoT Software Development. The report, developed by VDC Research and based on insights gathered from a survey of more than 775 respondents, highlights common challenges IoT product developers face and unveils fresh perspectives on industry best practices. The findings reveal the growing importance of software within IoT development, how long it takes organisations to find and fix product issues, and the general acceptance of a status quo that can leave devices running at suboptimal capacity.
In the world of today, cars, homes, and even clothes are connected to the Internet. The integration of smart devices into daily routines underscores the importance of ensuring these devices are working as expected. The stakes could not be higher, yet rising costs, complexity, and the constant demand for new features make for a challenging landscape for product developers. Moreover, when IoT product developers do not have access to adequate insight and control into products in use, it can increase the risk of a device malfunctioning or falling victim to a cyber incident. In turn, this can significantly impact customer satisfaction, company reputation, and, at worst, customer safety.
“IoT devices have become so intertwined into our daily life that, in many cases, it is a challenge to find a non-connected device,” noted François Baldassari, CEO at Memfault. “It’s critical that companies remember that software is the lifeblood of their IoT product. Without a means to monitor products or the ability to push out updates, support effectively ceases upon deployment. This isn’t acceptable for software developers, and it should not be for IoT companies either.”
Key stats from the study highlight challenges and opportunities within the IoT space, including:
- The amount of software is growing. IoT devices contain vast amounts of software code, and according to the survey, software has grown to account for nearly 60% of all project development costs.
- It takes too long to find and fix bugs. Half of the organisations take more than a week to find the cause of reported software defects, while 20% take several months, and more than 40% of organisations take more than a week to fix those defects once they are found.
- There is a disconnect between perception and reality. Only 8% of organisations typically release fixes within a day of finding software defects, yet 83% of respondents said their development team has adequate tools to efficiently fix defects when they are found in the field.
- Companies rely on customers to flag software issues. 38% of respondents reported using external bug reports and/or customer complaints to measure the quality of deployed software. This was the most common metric.
- Software bugs can be costly to fix. Software defects reported by customers require 75 additional person-hours per year to fix for the least complex projects, and up to three person-months for the most complex projects.
- Taking a proactive approach can reap benefits. Organisations using tools to monitor deployed devices spent half as much time remediating each software defect, allowing more time to focus on innovation rather than maintenance. “With IoT becoming increasingly integrated into our daily lives, companies must have a long-term plan for product support and maintenance. We are already seeing governments take notice, including in the EU, which will require all devices in 2026 to have over-the-air capabilities,” continued François. “Embracing a proactive stance is essential, and it doesn’t have to be challenging – provided you have the appropriate tools.”
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