The Cost of Fragmentation in IoT

Developing connected products for the Internet of Things (IoT) presents complex challenges that often lead to significant delays and unforeseen costs. Fragmented processes, where different teams or vendors manage hardware, firmware, or backend software components, can create critical accountability gaps. When a device fails to meet expected field performance, blame can be passed between hardware vendors, firmware developers, and RF consultants, with no single entity having a systemic view of how modem power consumption, battery discharge, and packet retransmission interact as a system. This lack of single project ownership is a frequent cause of stalled IoT projects, especially for companies new to connected products or established manufacturers integrating connectivity without a full redesign.

ACRIOS Systems, a Czech technology company with experience in large-scale smart metering deployments, has developed a custom development practice specifically to address this issue. The company offers end-to-end solutions, taking full project ownership at every stage of the product lifecycle. This includes embedded hardware design, OEM production, and long-term field maintenance, providing clients with a single accountable partner who streamlines management and minimizes integration risks.

ACRIOS's Holistic Approach: From Design to Deployment

Creating a connected device requires specialized expertise spanning circuit design, PCB layout, firmware, radio protocols, antenna tuning, power management, application software, backend systems, and cybersecurity. Traditionally, these layers are managed by separate teams, an approach that may work initially but often reveals critical gaps during integration, with no single supplier accountable for resolving them. ACRIOS overcomes this fragmentation by keeping all key competencies in-house: hardware, firmware, embedded software, protocols, applications, backend services, and OEM production. A 25-person team manages the entire process without outsourcing core engineering.

This full-ownership model allows ACRIOS to deliver prototypes quickly, typically within 2-3 months, thanks to reusable tools, established architectures, and minimal internal coordination. The company can manage end-to-end development or integrate into existing teams for specific phases such as optimization, audit, or certification. Their deep expertise in IoT communication is a decisive differentiator: robustness in this area is crucial for real-world performance, and mistakes have immediate, visible consequences. The protocol stack includes bare-metal implementations of CoAP, MQTT, LWM2M, and UDP, as well as wM-Bus bidirectional communication and NB-IoT integration. A multi-chipset standardization layer offers flexibility in hardware selection. Furthermore, FUOTA (Firmware Update Over The Air) support ensures reliable, large-scale updates for deployed devices.

Resilience, Compliance, and Data Sovereignty in Demanding Environments

Deployments in industrial, utility, and public infrastructure sectors face extreme conditions that typical consumer IoT development often overlooks. ACRIOS boasts a portfolio highlight such as a converter certified to ATEX Zone 2 for explosive environments, demonstrating the ability to design devices that meet stringent requirements for enclosure design, power management, and component selection. This hands-on experience translates into robust, field-ready solutions, where power budgets are conservatively calculated and environmental tolerances are guided by real-world conditions, not lab scenarios.

Cybersecurity compliance is another fundamental engineering discipline. Europe's regulatory landscape for connected devices is rapidly evolving, with the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) taking effect in 2024 (with compliance due by 2027). The CRA enforces cybersecurity for the entire product lifecycle, from secure development to vulnerability management and certification documentation. ACRIOS integrates CRA and Radio Equipment Directive (RED) requirements from the architectural stages, ensuring compliance is intrinsic to the design rather than a costly, late-stage add-on. The company also participates in applied research funded by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, providing clients with firsthand regulatory expertise.

The Value of a Single Partner for Enterprise IoT

Choosing a single engineering partner that covers the entire technology stack ensures clear accountability, fast fixes, and agile adaptation to regulatory changes. For European companies bringing connected products to market under increasing regulatory pressure and with limited tolerance for extended development cycles, this accountability structure represents a material advantage. The alternative, distributing development across multiple suppliers and managing integration internally, does not result in cost savings; on the contrary, it transfers integration risk to the client, who is typically least equipped to absorb it.

ACRIOS has validated this model across metering infrastructure deployments, public environment hardware, and hospital communication systems. As Marek Novák, CTO at ACRIOS Systems, emphasizes: “A device that works in a lab is a prototype. After three years in the field, two firmware updates, and a radio regulation change, it is a product. That distinction shapes every architectural decision we make from day one.” The company also manages network connectivity, backend infrastructure (based on Dockerized Linux), and data export via various interfaces (REST API, CSV via SFTP), allowing product teams to focus on business-relevant data rather than managing IoT infrastructure. This approach reduces internal technical workload and offers a turnkey solution with a lower barrier to entry and reduced operational overhead.