Embedded Software & Firmware Development

Embedded Electronic Design at its best

At Ignys, we develop embedded software and firmware for electronics projects where getting it right matters. We work with product teams inside well-funded businesses that need specialist embedded expertise, fast progress, and the confidence that comes from working with engineers who’ve done this before — engineers who can deliver not just on one project, but across a programme of works for your full roadmap.

What We Mean by Embedded Firmware

Firmware sits between your hardware and your application; it’s the low-level software that tells your microcontroller, processor, or SoC how to behave. Unlike computer software, firmware runs in constrained environments: limited memory, no operating system (or at most an RTOS), and often on battery power. Getting it wrong has consequences that are hard to undo once you’re in production. This is code that can break the hardware if done incorrectly.

We develop firmware across the full range of embedded possibilities:

• Bare metal firmware — direct hardware control on microcontrollers without an OS
• RTOS-based firmware — using real-time operating systems such as FreeRTOS or Zephyr to manage tasks, timing, and peripherals
• Embedded Linux — for applications on capable processors like ARM Cortex-A where a full OS is appropriate
• Bootloaders and OTA update mechanisms — so your product can be updated securely in the field
• Hardware Abstraction Layers (HAL) and BSPs — enabling portable code and clean hardware interfaces
• Driver development — custom peripheral drivers for sensors, displays, communication interfaces, and more

Embedded Firmware Engineers with Real Commercial Depth

Our firmware engineers are fluent in embedded C and C++, the languages that matter at the hardware level. We work across a wide range of silicon, including ARM Cortex-M and Cortex-A architectures, STM32, NXP i.MX, Nordic nRF, and Microchip PIC and AVR families. Whether your project calls for a simple microcontroller or a more capable applications processor, we select the right platform for your requirements.

Our engineers bring experience across audio, automotive, industrial automation, consumer electronics, renewables, medical devices, communications, alarm systems, wireless technologies and IoT, which means we draw on cross-sector pattern recognition when solving your specific challenge.

Firmware Development Built Around Your Programme, Not Ours

Whether you need a complete firmware architecture from scratch, a targeted piece of firmware for a specific subsystem, or an expert pair of eyes on existing code that isn’t performing, we scope the engagement around your actual problem.

Low-Power Firmware Design

One of the most common challenges in modern product development is power consumption. Whether your product is battery-powered, harvesting energy, or needs to meet stringent efficiency certifications, low-power firmware design requires a different discipline to general embedded development.

Our engineers approach power optimisation at the firmware level, managing sleep states, duty cycles, peripheral wake-up routines, and dynamic clock scaling to extract the longest runtime from your hardware without compromising functionality. This is particularly relevant for IoT devices, wearables, portable industrial instruments, and any product where a power adapter isn’t an option.

Secure Firmware Development and OTA Updates

Security in embedded systems is no longer optional. Vulnerabilities at the firmware level can expose your product, and your customers, to real risk, and increasingly, product safety standards and market access requirements demand that you can demonstrate secure development practices.

Ignys holds ISO 27001 certification, the international standard for information security management. This means your firmware source code, your IP, and your product data are managed within an externally certified information security framework throughout the engagement. It’s a level of assurance that most firmware contractors and smaller electronics houses simply can’t offer.

Our development approach follows industry best practices, applies disciplined coding standards, and uses structured testing protocols to deliver software that is robust, maintainable, and resistant to vulnerabilities.

We also design and implement secure OTA (over-the-air) firmware update mechanisms, including signed bootloaders, encrypted payloads, package integrity verification, and rollback protection. Getting OTA wrong means bricking devices in the field. Getting it right means a product that stays current, secure, and supported throughout its commercial life.

Firmware for Product Recovery and Legacy Systems

Not every engagement starts with a blank canvas. Some of the most valuable work we do begins when a product is already in trouble: a firmware architecture that’s become unmaintainable, a microcontroller that’s been discontinued, a third-party codebase that the original developer can no longer support, or a product that simply isn’t behaving as it should in the field.

If you’ve inherited a firmware problem, we can help. We conduct structured technical reviews, identify the root causes of instability or underperformance, and create a clear, costed route forward. You don’t need to start again, but you do need engineers who can read other people’s code without flinching.

Long Term Support and Maintenance

Our commitment doesn’t stop at delivery. We can provide ongoing support and maintenance for embedded systems, including patches, updates, and feature enhancements. This ensures your products remain reliable, secure, and competitive throughout their lifecycle, giving you peace of mind and long-term value.

Our Embedded Software FAQ