5 Things to Consider Before Building IoT Application

IoT is the bridge to the future where our world will be a
mesh of interconnected devices. If you though IoT is any recentlimy emerged
technology, be informed that talks about IoT had started way back in 1990s.

However, it is now with the explosive growth of embedded
systems, sensors and the abundant availability of reliable Internet that the
world of IoT has become more assuring and possible than ever before in history.

IoT application development will leave a positive impact on
several industries including manufacturing, urban living, healthcare,
automotives, city management, among many others.

So, where does one start with building IoT applications?
What are the critical factors to be borne in mind before building IoT apps?

This article discusses in detail those factors that a
business needs to consider to build IoT applications that deliver maximum
result to the business.

IoT is primarily connecting an application or a device to
another piece of hardware. The capability of the hardware and the connectivity
mode, like WiFI, BLE, ZIgbee, etc. plays a vital role in the outcome of the
app.

Secondly, connectivity mediums also change from manufacturer
to manufacturer. For instance, Apple has Made For iPhone (MFi) whereas Android
and Windows might have other connectivity protocols which have to be considered
before building Internet of Things application.

Internet of Things mobile applications need to connect with
a diverse range of mobile hardware devices which may not always have the same
configurations. Right from the charging point to the display dimensions and the
internal circuits, the hardware compatibility is bound to differ in many ways.
For instance, iBeacons work entirely different from the way other beacons or IoT
actuators work.

Identifying issues with hardware compatibility right before
IoT mobile app development will help
save resources which otherwise might be required later on for redesigning and
putting the app to work uniformly.

Original Equipment Manufacturers have certain licensing and
copyright rules that every IoT app builder must adhere with. For instance,
Apple has different set of license requirements for manufacturers and for app
developers. Special access or licenses have to be obtained from the OEMs before
the app is launched if specific hardware is going to be used or accessed.

Security is the biggest concern in building Internet of
Things applications. The best time to beef up security for an IoT application
would perhaps be when the app is being built and configured. Security measures
like encryption and can be planned to be built into the app early on so that
the app remains secure when it is time for release.

Giants like IBM, Google, Intel are offering their IoT building
solutions and platforms. Picking a
readymade platform or opting to develop from scratch is a decision that will
seriously impact the outcome of the IoT application.

From the scratch development could be time consuming and
even demand more resources than platform based IoT development.

Being a relatively new industrial domain where technical
expertise across multiple platforms is necessary, professional IoT development services are rare to find. If
you are planning to test waters on your own, these are the five factors that
you must bear in mind before investing time, money and resources.