Rajesh C Subramaniam, CEO & Founder of embedUR systems, highlights why the right engineering model defines the future of smart devices.
Not long ago, creating a connected device was straightforward. A small engineering team could write firmware for a microcontroller, add some basic connectivity, and deliver a product to market. Today, that approach is no longer enough. Modern smart devices are complex systems that bring together custom hardware, embedded software, wireless protocols, AI capabilities, and secure cloud integration, all of which must be supported and updated over time.
Devices are no longer judged only on whether they function, but on how intelligently they process data, adapt to users, and respond to their environment. This rising bar has widened the gap between demand and available expertise.
At the same time, companies face relentless pressure to deliver quickly and remain competitive. Building a fully in-house team that spans hardware, embedded software, cloud, and AI is costly and often unsustainable. This is why many organizations look beyond their own walls.
Some extend their staff with external specialists, others rely on dedicated partner teams, and some entrust entire projects to outsourcing firms. Each model comes with its own balance of cost, speed, and ownership. Choosing the right one can determine whether a company falls behind or leads the market.
Building Smart Devices Today
Once a company commits to building a new connected product, the technical roadmap quickly collides with real-world constraints. Modern devices must juggle multiple wireless radios, interoperate seamlessly with cloud platforms, and meet ever-tightening security and regulatory requirements. Each of these layers adds complexity, and without the right expertise at the right time, delays will become almost inevitable.
The instinctive answer is often to hire. But the reality is that it’s slower and costlier than most companies plan for. Even technical recruiters are often a few months behind the curve. They may know the buzzwords, but they don’t work with the tools.
Finding the right candidate can take months, and onboarding takes more time still. By the time the engineer is productive, four months may have passed, a time that most projects can’t afford. Worse, many teams don’t even know which skills they’ll need until they’re already deep into development.
Without a partner vs with a partner
When teams don’t have the right technology partner, things start going sideways even before coding begins. Finding people with rare embedded and wireless skills turns into a huge headache for recruiters, dragging out hiring and onboarding for months. Then, halfway through the project, real gaps show up—right when deadlines are set in stone and fixing things costs even more time and money. If firmware gets delayed, the whole system grinds to a halt. Validation and certification get pushed back, and suddenly, you’re stuck in a domino effect of setbacks. By the time everything’s finally ready, the best market opportunities might be gone and your competitors have already moved in.
But with an experienced partner, you dodge a lot of these headaches. Teams that already know embedded and wireless tech can jump in fast—no long ramp-up, no big bottlenecks. These folks bring real-world experience: tweaking algorithms for low-power devices, squeezing the best out of wireless in tough environments, and spotting integration issues before they blow up. The development process stays steady, validation happens on schedule, and your product actually launches when it’s supposed to. You keep your momentum and don’t give up your edge.
Common Engagement Models Explained
Smart engineering teams don’t wait until they hit a wall to look for help. By then, it’s already too late. The companies that move fastest are the ones that line up partners in advance, check that the right skills are available, and know they can activate a team at short notice. Good planning is proactive: when the moment comes, it’s not about starting a conversation but pressing a button to spin up the resources you’ve already secured.