These days embedded software is everywhere. Yes, ‘intelligent’ technology has been around for almost half a century, but in recent years embedded systems have saturated almost every aspect of modern day life.
You’ll find common examples in most homes - from your coffee machine to your TV, and your smartphone to your air conditioning unit. But the most exciting developments and demand is taking place in industries in which reliability and safety are of the utmost importance. Where real-time operating systems are essential.
With popularity and demand comes competition for resources. As we head into 2022 the growing international rivalry for highly-skilled, industry-experienced embedded software engineers is fierce. Throw pandemic-induced travel restrictions into the mix and you can see why some companies are now struggling to secure the people they need to drive their key projects to success.
But before we explore this people-shaped problem and what your organisation can do to stay one step ahead of the competition, let’s delve into the opportunity. Taking some time to recognise how embedded software can help us to overcome the pain of the recent global crisis and enable forward-thinking companies to move forward into 2022 with confidence.
Automated solutions for pandemic problems
While we’d all love to leave the dark days of the last two years behind us, we’re still not out of the woods. Think about how the global lockdowns have impacted on business, demonstrating the necessity of automated systems. While many manufacturers were forced to shut down operations, others survived relatively unscathed. Robotic arms on production lines and smarter software allowing for business as usual - without human interaction - helped some future-proof companies to thrive in times of adversity.
The pandemic exposed the fragility of the global healthcare system. The doctors, nurses and clinicians of the world have faced a new and poorly understood threat; while the more common and ever-present illnesses like cancer and heart disease never went away. All of this led to many healthcare systems being stretched to breaking point; with backlogs of non-urgent care escalating and health professionals facing workloads and pressure like never before.
In the public and private medical sector, intelligent embedded software systems - that encourage diagnostic confidence, increase efficiency and boost productivity - increasingly meant the difference between life and death. By harnessing the power of automation we can resuscitate failing systems that ease the burden of care, build more robust and sustainable options while helping to combat workforce shortages and staff burnout.
A brave new world of embedded systems
There has been a great deal of talk about ‘The Internet of Things (IoT)’ in recent years. This describes the network of physical objects that come embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for smoother connection and data exchange with other devices and systems over the Internet.
Expert analysis suggests that the global IoT market is projected to grow from $381.30 billion in 2021 to $1,854.76 billion in 2028. This is despite the lingering pandemic impact upon supply chains and the current international semiconductor shortage crisis.
According to a recent report from global market research body ‘IoT Analytics Research’, the number of connected IoT devices will grow from just over 12 billion active endpoints in 2021 to more than 27 billion by 2025.
So what will that look like across industry and how will it help us overcome the challenges of the day?
The automotive industry is one area in which we are seeing the most dramatic changes. Currently some 1.35 million people are killed in road traffic collisions globally and the industry creates a lot of pollution. Autonomous vehicles will help us to save lives and protect the planet.
Picture a future world without road traffic collisions, your vehicle effortlessly communicating with other road users and the streetscape while keeping pedestrians safe. Envisage how this would minimise congestion or reduce everyone’s carbon footprint.
As the focus on sustainability sharpens it’s becoming increasingly apparent that our resources are not limitless; failing to recognise this could have disastrous consequences for people and the planet. In these unprecedented times of great challenge, dynamic embedded control software will enable us to evaluate and make better use of dwindling resources.
If water supplies become increasingly scarce, consider a smart water system and sophisticated infrastructure that will test every gallon for pollutants, while distributing water effectively and efficiently, with minimal waste.
Imagine automation technology in offices and homes continually checking the environment and looking for ways to save resources. Automatically turning on and off lights or monitoring climate control systems regularly to ensure they’re running with optimal efficiency.
Our dedicated energy teams are at the forefront of placing talented renewable energy engineers into the solar, wind and hydro power plants of the future. Embedded software systems are vital to check that the energy capturing technology is as efficient as possible, that the power generated is not wasted; and that it’s transported to the grid effectively for transmission across diverse geographies.
As more and more exciting technologies are developed through growing R&D efforts this has an exponential impact upon what is deemed possible. Every industry from automotive to aerospace, and from defence to energy and healthcare will benefit.
Smarter development of embedded software technologies broadens viewpoints, open doors of exciting change and catalyses progress exponentially. Encouraging further development and investment in ways to reduce waste, optimize efficiency and build a greener, more sustainable future.
Positioning for the people shaped problem
Now, here is where we get to the tricky bit…and where Coalesce Management Consulting (CMC) comes in!
With so much technological change across so many international industries the appetite for talented IT professionals has never been more fierce. In fact, the pandemic restrictions on movement means that we’re seeing severe national skills shortages in countries like the UK and USA. All of which leads to costly project delays, hampering many an organisation’s ability to develop their futuristic plans and achieve ambitious growth plans.
First tier suppliers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across the board are looking for the best software developers, software and systems architects, and project testers. They urgently need people with demonstrable embedded and object-oriented development skills in the likes of C and C++, preferably with direct industry experience.
It’s a familiar story for our embedded software specialist consultants. Right now, across many industries, there’s more work of this nature than there are suitably skilled people to fill the roles.
But fortunately for CMC clients…we can help!
Our dedicated technology division has years of experience in helping clients around the world to successfully deliver their technology and IT projects to time and budget.
Given the exponential speed of technology evolution and advancement, we understand that you need a consulting partner that’s always fully up-to-date on even the most advanced technologies and trends such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, cloud computing, robotics, and the Internet of Things (I.o.T).
When you work with us you get a dedicated, agile partner who will proactively provide relevant, value-add insights and analytics, assess and identify the right technologies for your business requirements before developing and delivering a practical, full lifecycle implementation plan. Which comes with customized and measurable value metrics.
We bring a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory landscape, and our inhouse legal specialists can advise and support you to ensure you are fully compliant with all the latest legislation and regulations…including solving any IR35 headaches you may have.
As such we can guarantee to overcome ANY project or business challenge related to having the right people...and then back it up when you most need us! A globally positioned partner, available to you 24 hours a day, that will happily adapt any aspect of its proven service to best suit your organisation.
We’re the type of company that thrives on urgency and desperate ‘to the wire’ requirements...but we act proactively, not reactively. Shouldn’t this just be the way things are done? At CMC, we believe so.
Get in touch today and we can talk you through how we can best support your IT project and solve your people-shaped business pressures. But don’t just take our word for it! We walk our talk and will happily provide you with celebratory testimonial evidence direct from companies in your industry.