IoT solution is evolving at a rapid pace and the need for reliability as well as proactive management of connected devices is becoming increasingly important. A concept called observability has lately emerged and it is being applied to IoT for smooth functioning of devices. The role of observability in delivering reliable IoT solutions was recently discussed on the Embedded Edge podcast with François Baldassari, CEO of Memfault startup.

Memfault was founded about five years ago and it basically provides tools to help hardware companies monitor the behavior of their devices in the real-time. Businesses can detect issues and thereafter reduce the need for time-consuming troubleshooting. Baldassari said that observability enables in gathering critical data on device stability, connectivity and battery life.

Baldassari shared how the journey of Memfault started when his team encountered challenges while working on Pebble smartwatch. Observability is a concept that is borrowed from software development. It allowed them to monitor device performance remotely and fix issues before customers were even aware of them.

The approach is gradually becoming important as devices are increasingly being sold as part of a service model in the IoT sector. With companies relying on ongoing subscriptions for revenue, any device malfunction can result in customer churn.

Despite its advantages, many IoT companies are still slow to adopt observability, often believing their products are functioning well without real data to back this assumption.

Observability not only improves device reliability but also allows companies to be proactive in maintaining their devices. Businesses can address issues before they impact customers and simultaneously ensure a higher level of service quality with real-time data.