Why develop a custom Internet of Things application?

The IoT or Internet of Things is a technology of the future. Its potential for multiple industry verticals like healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, and day-to-day life is immense. For a myriad of advanced IoT devices out there, mobile apps are going to be the key point of establishing the connection. Therefore, you can hire services from a reliable IoT app development company to be assured of the best outcomes. Let us help you understand why you should develop a custom Internet of Things application for your business.

Why Should You Go for Custom Internet of Things Mobile Application Development?

The IoT market is huge. It always has something to offer to diverse resource and service facilities. The applications of the Internet of Things are going to be everywhere in the coming future –across all possible industry verticals. IoT custom mobile app development is becoming increasingly popular. The secret to its success is to come across a reliable iPhone app development company offering professional mobile app development services.

For specific industries like enterprise businesses and agriculture, IoT devices might not require mobile interfaces. They are capable of connecting directly to the cloud. Alternatively, they can also be controlled with the help of web-based apps. On the other hand, for consumers, IoT devices are typically known to make use of high-end applications. Consumers tend to have their mobile phones with them all the time.

When IoT consumers are thought upon, smart home technologies are the first instances that come to anyone’s mind. These applications are becoming popular day after day. In addition to smart home, consumers are increasingly using IoT for:

• Child & pet care
• Agriculture
• Healthcare
• Automobiles
• Wearable devices

As per a recent study forecast, it is estimated that the sales of IoT-based wearable devices will be growing by around 31 percent by the end of 2021. For smart home applications, the growth of the Internet of Things applications is even more impressive. A recent survey by Forbes revealed that around 2/3^rd of the consumers reveal that they will be purchasing IoT-based devices for their homes by the time of 2021. Just half of them revealed that they would be purchasing wearables.

By 2021, around 1.9 billion IoT-based smart home devices will be shipped to consumers. It will result in impressive revenue generation of up to $490 billion. Moreover, it is estimated that around 90 percent of all new cars are going to be connected to smartphones. This is just 10 percent in modern time. Internet of Things is going to be one of the primary technologies that will be responsible for upgrading the lives of people. It will bring about a change in the way people do daily activities, drive cars, work, or even entertain themselves.

The number of connected devices is expected to grow. The growth will require proper software development. As such, you can consider the option of custom IoT mobile app development to conquer the existing market.

Custom Build Vs. Off-the-Shelf IoT Platforms

IoT mobile app development is now required at the front-end layer for almost all types of IoT-based consumer products. While a web-based User Interface might not be enough for enterprise-grade or industrial IoT devices & applications, most manufacturers might struggle with selling the IoT device to consumers that cannot be controlled by using one’s smartphone.

This is the reason why analyzing the development of advanced IoT apps should be regarded from the start. This will enable you to ensure the right decisions with respect to choosing the right IoT platform and other crucial factors. You can take help from reliable Internet of Things solutions from industry experts.

Custom-made IoT Applications

The first decision you need to make is whether you should opt for custom-made or off-the-shelf IoT application development. Let us take the instance of custom-build IoT application development. There is no denying the fact that IoT app development is a slightly complicated process. The technical barriers to entry for those who wish to develop their own platform from scratch can be quite high. If you choose this option, you should invest significant time. This is because you can expect a build time of around 12 to 24 months.

In a custom-made IoT application development project, you will be required to consider its design, development, testing, and maintenance of every part of the IoT stack. Some of the important considerations are:

• Development of third-party APIs and connections
• Server deployment & maintenance
• Access control
• Security considerations
• Database build & maintenance
• UI & UX build
• Front-end build & maintenance

As such, while some IoT developers opt for custom-made designs, there are others who might opt for off-the-shelf development processes.

Read the blog- IOT: The Fourth Industrial Revolution in the Making

The Interconnection of Internet of Things and Mobile App Development

Millions of IoT-connected devices exist across the globe. The number is only expected to rise as internet connectivity is going to serve as the standard feature for devices across households, business establishments, factors, urban areas, and other aspects of life. The recommended channel to accelerate the growth of IoT-based devices is through mobile. This is because of the ease of developing high-end, user-friendly, and interactive mobile-based apps to support revolutionary devices.

Moreover, the mobile turns out to be flexible during the transmission of data as well. With a single app on the smartphone like wearables or smart home, one can efficiently look forward to managing IoT devices.

Some of the potential benefits of building a custom-made mobile app for the IoT industry are:

#Flexible Accessibility

Consumers in the modern era prefer flexibility. The integration of custom mobile app development and IoT allows modern-day consumers to access any interconnected device or object from any point in the world with just a single touch of a button or through an app on the respective smartphones.

When you hire services from a reputed IoT app development company, you should ensure that the IoT=enabled mobile app is capable of scaling with the enhanced functionality of IoT platforms. The professional mobile app developers here should also be capable of leveraging the increased network usage of the end-users.

#Valuable Insights

Internet of Things serves to be a network of several interconnected sensors, devices, servers, and various other digital items. These interconnected components collectively access and store personal, sensitive data about the end-users. The best part is that you can use the given information for making accurate decisions with respect to buying patterns and consumer behavior in real-time. This allows you to tweak the respective business processes accordingly.

For example, if you wish to make any necessary changes to the inventory, you can overhaul the marketing strategy for your offerings with these insights. You can make a significant difference with the help of consumer-centric data. It helps in delivering a highly personalized and meaningful consumer experience.

#Niche Market Entry

While the benefits of IoT technology are inevitable, most businesses are still skeptical about using IoT applications. On the other hand, they should realize that going for the option of custom IoT mobile applications will offer them a competitive edge. It will also allow them to address the niche market that has recently started leveraging revolutionary technology.

Internet of Things Affecting the Custom Mobile App Development Process

#Reduced Costs of Mobile Application Development

Due to the dynamic nature of the Internet of Things, it allows IoT mobile application development to ensure the integration of multiple components within the app. It makes the application highly innovative and interactive. This will save your business ample money without any compromise made on the output.

#Integration Support

IoT technology can be integrated with emerging technologies like Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Machine Learning. Therefore, the same capabilities can be deployed in modern mobile apps. However, if you wish to maximize the benefits, it is essential to implement IoT effectively. This serves to be a great opportunity for any IoT application development company to come up with an interactive mobile app.

Read the blog- Well Planned IoT Adoption Can Make Your Business Flourish

 #Improved Security

User information gets stored on the cloud. Moreover, IoT application development is capable of support high-end device interconnectivity. As such, there is a higher potential for account hacks and identity theft. This implies the mobile app developers should ensure strict encryption policies and security protocols in all of the IoT-enabled mobile applications.

#Facilitation of Interactive Mobile Apps

There is no denying the fact that the Internet of Things is capable of making applications highly interactive. In addition to this, the revolutionary technology helps in opening up new ways for highly-personalized options. This implies that the mobile app can stay relevant while being up-to-date with advanced functionalities with respect to IoT.

The technology is also capable of offering simplified customization options for mobile-based enterprise-grade apps. An increasing number of businesses wish to leverage the benefits of the Internet of Things and its applications. Most of them feature connected devices when it comes to ordering supplies along with in-office repairs on a periodic basis.

At the same time, businesses can simplify the entire work process for the respective staff while reducing downtime by constantly maintaining office equipment. Businesses can also look forward to implementing repairs as soon as a problem would arise. It helps in achieving improved employee productivity in the entire process. All of these factors imply that IoT development companies are offered more opportunities for application development.

#Location Independence

As you are able to use IoT-based applications anytime and anywhere, you can control the entire IoT ecosystem with much ease. This includes all devices, hardware, and internet connections deployed through a single mobile application. Therefore, it can be correctly said that IoT helps in providing location independence.

For example, the Home App of the iPhone offers the suggestion with respect to use automation for putting your accessories or devices (including bathroom lights, Wi-Fi system, and thermostat) to work in your favor. Video-based doorbells and HomeKit cameras can send over notifications to the mobile app upon someone arriving at your doorstep.

This implies that you are not restricted to any place while controlling the IoT network from the mobile app.

#Improved Convenience

Due to the fact that 52 percent of the entire global population tends to be mobile internet users, you can easily look forward to managing the IoT network from the comfort of homes, offices, or on the go. You can also extend additional features like the integration of notifications and social networks in the given IoT mobile app.

IoT aims at making day-to-day life simpler –not only for the consumers but also for the IoT application providers. App developers are not required to invest a lot of resources and time in building a mobile app while making devices highly intuitive and interactive.

Challenges with IoT Mobile App Development

#Data Collection & Processing

As IoT application needs a significant amount of data, the IoT development company that you hire should ensure a dedicated plan for collecting, storing, and processing data on the cloud. Moreover, the company should implement professional IoT solutions in compliance with specific platform requirements.

If you require assistance in gaining insights from the data you have obtained about consumers, make use of data experts, analytic engineers, and advanced machine learning resources. They can help in calculating the usefulness of the data in hand.

#Improved Privacy & Security

Indeed, the entire process of IoT mobile app development is going to be free from the concerns related to the network of security of the essential components in the respective IoT applications.

Are you aware of the Dyncyberattacks during 2016 that significantly affected interconnected devices of users from North America and Europe? It always serves to be a major reminder of how crucial it is to ensure the utilization of data encryption protocol at the time of mobile app development.

Additionally, IoT devices tend to be always left unattended. This implies that potential hackers can easily tamper the existing data from any location as long as they are in possession of remote access. As such, it becomes imperative to make sure that devices and data are protected properly while ensuring appropriate access as well as authorization capabilities.

#Software & Hardware Compatibility

IoT-based mobile application development requires a proper balance of software and hardware functionalities. While it is crucial to focus on designing the technology or device that is capable of achieving optimal performance, it could lead to problems at the time of regular updates.

Moreover, if the device ensures regular updates like constant bug-fixing, it could reduce the performance quality. As such, it could turn out to be a challenge for the IoT app development company to impart the best possible performance. This is despite constant updates, regular bug fixing, and heavy OS. When you strike a balance between the two, it serves to be a major benefit to your business.

Custom IoT Solutions and Its Applications

There are several contributing factors scaling towards custom IoT application development solutions. Companies are drawn to the concept of custom mobile application development if:

• Deployment size tends to be significantly large
• The quantity of data transferred to the cloud is significant
• Technology is a major competence, or the company is offering technology-centric services
• There is the absence of the right solution in the given market that is capable of accommodating the needs and specifications of the company

Some of the essential benefits of custom IoT development solutions are:

• The result serves to be a personalized solution for providing all specific capabilities and features desired while connecting all devices
• Companies can leverage the expertise of in-house experts for building and deploying a custom-made IoT solution
• The IoT solution can reflect the brand of the company for providing a highly refined and enhanced user experience
• The company will own the solution and, therefore, can exercise full control over upgrades, updates, and maintenance

IoT Mobile Application Development –Server-side IoT Solution

The server-side or backend development of the Internet of Things application enables the platform to collect vital data. At the same time, the platform is also enabled to send the data to the cloud. Here, servers allow the users to view, store, and compute vital data. The backend turns out to be especially useful for supporting communication, analytics, and ensuring the utilization of value from data.

Pros of Writing Your Own IoT Application Backend

It is a preferable choice for writing and custom-designing your backend if the company wishes to develop an enterprise-grade Internet of Things system with millions of interconnected devices.

The pros of custom backend IoT application development are:

• Potential deployment to corporate datacenter solutions
• Ensuring modifications as needed for supporting all types of IoT devices
• A custom selection of programming languages and frameworks
• Using microservices and other advanced architectures

How to Hire the Best IoT App Development Company?

Changing business requirements and technological advancements have taken the IoT application development process to the next stage. In simple words, the Internet of Things is aimed at revolutionizing the way in which we live through interactive apps. Here are some tips to consider when you wish to hire the best IoT mobile app development company:

#IoT-centric Skills

Most app development companies either lack the presence of proper resources or necessary tools for building customized Internet of Things application solutions. You should hire a reliable IoT application development company having a proven track record of providing advanced IoT application solutions.

The application development company having expertise in serving mechanical or electrical engineering companies with revolutionary software solutions can be a highly preferred choice.

#Ratings and Reviews

In the modern technology-centric age, it is important to come across online reviews as well as ratings of multiple mobile application development companies for the development of Internet of Technology applications. You can also take a look at the testimonials on the respective website to come across the right software development partner. You can obtain relevant feedback by reaching out to previous clients of the IoT app development companies to get access to the real picture.

#Style of Communication

There are two types of corporate clients for a mobile application development company. One is a company leaving everything on the respective app development partner until the delivery date approaches. The second one is the company that requires information about the development phase at specific intervals. Most of the IoT application development companies send the respective clients’ invoices on a weekly basis. It states how much time has been given to particular development activities.

Here, communication serves to be an integral component in the development of an IoT app with important features. When you hire an experienced IoT app developer, ensure that you have a matching communication style. If the management of your company is quite proactive at the time of app development, then you should make sure that the IoT app developer is also offering access to real-time information. You should always be informed about the budget, scope, and duration of the given app development process.

#Process of Testing

Whether you are designing the IoT app for iOS or Android, the testing process should be strong. This is because IoT apps are going to be integrated with the existing IoT network of connected devices and servers. You are required to ensure that the IoT app developer follows a robust and automated app testing procedure for customized IoT applications.

As the IoT app will grow in scale and size, it tends to become complicated with respect to management. As such, IoT app developers should have access to advanced techniques and tools for app testing and maintenance. The app development company that you choose should identify errors or bugs at every stage of app development.

Endnote

It can be overwhelming to choose the most reliable IoT application development company for your business needs. You should seek IoT development services from a partner that is effectively capable of handling every aspect of the business’s needs and its growing challenges. Being creative and innovative can be the main characteristics of the IoT app developer, along with the much-needed domain expertise.