What Sierra Software does

Sierra Software Ltd (SSLA) is a private UK-based embedded systems engineering services firm founded in 2013 and headquartered in Nottingham, with a wholly-owned Austrian subsidiary, Sierra Software GmbH, in Vorarlberg. The company delivers end-to-end embedded software development services spanning system design, porting, middleware development, optimization, regression testing, and documentation, with a stated capability to complete projects from design through delivery in approximately six months. Its technical expertise covers a wide range of CPU architectures (ARM, STM, Atmel, ESP32, PIC, Arduino, BeagleBone, Raspberry Pi) and wireless protocols (2G/LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, ISM, UWB, LoRa).

The firm serves enterprise clients across multiple verticals including oil and gas (sub-sea drill riser monitoring data logger), railway transportation (platform camera surveillance), energy and utilities (LoRa-based smart meters), manufacturing and industrial automation (logistics robots), and telecommunications (5G modem stack and network device management with NAS, RRC, PDCP, and MAC/PHY layer work). It operates a wholly-owned Austrian subsidiary and generates ancillary revenue through an IoT e-commerce store at ssla.co.uk/buy/ and partner-driven affiliate (12-15% commission) and referral (up to $10,000 per successful business referral) programs. GTM is sales-led, combining direct outreach, referral, and affiliate channels; the firm has no disclosed external investors, no patents or trademarks on file, and no app or API product surface.

Sierra Software monetizes primarily through professional services engagements on a quote-based, multi-year contract basis, with IoT store product sales as a secondary one-time-license stream and affiliate/referral commissions as a tertiary channel. Customer logos are not disclosed; all case studies reference unnamed enterprise operators, and the firm's 11-50 employee footprint is consistent with a small specialist consultancy serving project-based engagements across safety-critical verticals.

Name

Sierra Software

Legal name

Sierra Software Ltd.

Website

https://www.ssla.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sierra Software is an embedded design and development firm that provides embedded Linux solutions to many industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Embedded Software Development Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Embedded Software & Firmware Tools (Compilers, Debug, RTOS tooling) (HDAHAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Service Provider OSS/NMS (Carrier Network Management) (HDAFAGAL)

Keywords

• Embedded system development
• IoT solutions
• Industrial automation software
• Embedded firmware engineering
• SCADA solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Ruddington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Embedded systems engineering services: B2B professional services covering the full embedded system development lifecycle including embedded system development, porting, middleware development, optimisation, regression testing, and project documentation. Services are provided for technology projects including bug fixing, feature development, and new project development from scratch.
2. Technology consulting: IT consulting and engineering IoT services for manufacturing and IT industries, covering design, development, testing, and operation. Services include system engineering, hardware-software integration, and engineering design for connected devices across automobile, telecom, healthcare, transportation, and industrial sectors.
3. IoT store products: Sale of IoT solutions and related products through the company's online store (IoT Store), complemented by an affiliate program earning 12-15% commission on referred sales.
4. Referral and affiliate commissions: Referral program rewards up to $10,000 per successful business referral. Affiliate program earns 12-15% commission on product sales. Payments processed via PayPal or Bitcoin, with $20 minimum threshold.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sierra Software provides embedded system software development and technology consulting services, delivering C/C++ firmware across multiple CPU architectures (ARM Cortex, MIPS, SH, AVR) and wireless protocols (2G, LTE, BT, Wi-Fi, NFC, ISM, UWB). The firm also delivers industry-specific embedded solutions spanning smart meters, smart robots, 5G telecommunications, drill riser monitoring, and rail platform surveillance, typically scoped as six-month end-to-end projects.

Product overview

Sierra Software Ltd (SSLA) is an embedded system software development company offering a portfolio of services centered on embedded systems development, IoT solutions, and industrial automation. The core offering includes embedded system development, porting, middleware development, optimization, and testing services. The company provides vertical solutions across industries including drill riser monitoring (sub-sea operations), rail technology (camera surveillance), smart meters (energy monitoring via LoRa), smart robots (logistics automation), and telecommunications (5G modem/network management). Additional services include technology consulting for IoT products, an IoT store for product sales, and referral and affiliate programs for partner acquisition. The company operates from locations in Nottingham, UK and Vorarlberg, Austria, with over 15 years of industry experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Embedded System Development End-to-end embedded firmware and middleware engineering in C and C++ for clients building products on ARM, MIPS, SH, or AVR silicon, typically delivered as a six-month scoped engagement.
• Technology Consulting Consulting engagement covering embedded architecture selection, wireless protocol integration strategy, and technology roadmap guidance for engineering teams.
• Smart Meters IoT Solution LoRa-connected smart meter firmware built on ARM Cortex microcontrollers with Bluetooth Low Energy, designed for energy and utilities metering deployments.
• Smart Robots and Logistics Automation Embedded control firmware for smart robots and logistics automation, running FreeRTOS on NXP i.MX RT1064 microcontrollers with Bluetooth Low Energy and Wi-Fi connectivity modules.
• 5G Telecommunications Solution 5G modem stack development and integration services using Sierra Wireless, Telit, and Quectel 5G modules for telecommunications operators and equipment vendors.
• Drill Riser Monitoring Solution Low-cost data logger embedded solution for oil and gas drill risers, built on two 8-bit microcontrollers, detecting drilling dysfunctions to save remedial costs.
• Rail Platform Surveillance Solution Rail platform surveillance system with mounted cameras at every station and a single-board computer on each platform, supporting railway safety and compliance operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Complete embedded system projects from design to development in approximately 6 months
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wind River Systems: Wind River (now part of Aptiv) provides embedded software platforms and RTOS/firmware development tools widely used in industrial, telecom, and safety-critical applications. Directly comparable to Sierra Software in the embedded software and firmware tooling stack they both serve.
• Sigma Connectivity: Sigma Connectivity is a Swedish embedded engineering services firm delivering connected device development across telecom, industrial, and medtech verticals. Closely comparable to Sierra in size, services-led model, and cross-vertical embedded focus.
• Bsquare Corporation: Bsquare provides embedded and IoT engineering services plus an IoT platform (DataRouter). Directly comparable to Sierra's embedded development plus IoT product portfolio, targeting similar industrial and enterprise customers.
• Real-Time Innovations (RTI): RTI provides middleware and connectivity software for real-time, distributed embedded systems used in industrial automation, medical, and defence. Comparable to Sierra's middleware development and integration capability in safety/industrial-critical environments.
• IAR Systems: IAR Systems supplies embedded development tools (compilers, debuggers, RTOS) used by embedded engineers across the same microcontroller families Sierra supports (ARM, etc.). Comparable as a peer in the embedded development toolchain ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Luxoft (DXC Technology): Luxoft, now part of DXC, is a large IT services firm with a dedicated embedded software practice covering telecom, automotive, and industrial IoT. Comparable to Sierra as a competitor for embedded engineering services engagements, though at much greater scale and with broader geographic reach.
• ICONICS (Mitsubishi Electric): ICONICS, now part of Mitsubishi Electric, provides SCADA and IoT software platforms for industrial automation and energy monitoring. Comparable to Sierra's SCADA and smart-meter/energy-monitor work as a much larger incumbent in the same industrial IoT/SCADA space.

Emerging players

• Litmus Automation: Litmus Automation provides an Industrial IoT edge platform for data collection and device management across factory automation. Adjacent to Sierra's IoT and industrial automation offerings as a productised platform alternative to Sierra's services-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ssla_embedded

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sierra Software