Custom vs. Off-the-Shelf IoT Solutions

A Conversation with Richard Beranek from Brash Inc.

Author

IoT For All
February 27, 2024

Hello readers!

On this week’s IoT For All podcast, Ryan speaks with Richard Beranek, Managing Partner and Engineering Lead to Brash Inc., about custom vs off-the-shelf IoT solutions. Our conversation covers what off-the-shelf and custom IoT solutions are, combining them, risks and things to consider, factors that influence the decision between them, and advice for companies starting their IoT journey.

Why You Won’t Want to Miss This

  1. Explore the pros and cons of off-the-shelf versus custom IoT solutions to find the best fit for your company's unique needs.

  2. Discover how custom IoT solutions offer a spectrum of possibilities, from starting with a blank slate to simple tweaks, to meet specific functional requirements.

  3. Anticipate the trade-offs between off-the-shelf and custom IoT solutions, considering vendor support and management responsibilities.

  4. Learn about combining off-the-shelf hardware with custom software for IoT solutions, taking advantage of interoperability.

  5. Understand when internal or outsourced teams are needed to support custom IoT solutions and the importance of logistics, manufacturing, and DevOps.

Our Favorite Moment

“There's so many great tools out there to get you started and get you that 70-80% functionality, so that you can try the different hardware, you can visualize the data, and maybe it doesn't give you everything that you need, but it gets you a functional solution. Do I really need the customization, or am I okay using these initial tools, build out my application that way, and then really understand what is critical, what is not critical, and then go the custom route if needed.”

— Richard Beranek

Custom or Off-the-Shelf?

Meet Richard Beranek

Dr. Richard Beranek has a Bachelor of Engineering in Aerospace Engineering and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, both from Carleton University. In 2012, he co-founded GaitTronics to commercialize SoloWalk, a robotic walker used in early mobilization rehabilitation. He would go on to form Brash Inc. in 2017, leading the product design and development of new devices, consumer electronics, robotics, software, and IoT products.

Brash Inc. is in the business of collectively finding creative solutions to interesting problems. Whether it's starting the next big idea or revamping an existing one, they partner with clients to deliver customized solutions from the initial scribble all the way to market (and anywhere in between). Their team of innovators include designers, engineers, software developers, data scientists, and researchers that are not only technical experts in their respective fields, but also well-versed in the startup journey and the various stages of product development. Alongside with you, they dig into developing products that fuse design and engineering to create intuitive customer experiences.

Presented by

Wilderness Labs

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