From Mandate to Mindset

Regulations like the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) are top of mind for many in the embedded software world right now, and understandably so. The pressure to comply is real, especially for teams already juggling tight schedules and complex development environments.

But as disruptive as these mandates might feel, they also present an opportunity and perhaps a necessary nudge to adopt better habits that can strengthen the software we build, far beyond compliance.

Think back to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Remember how we were all suddenly told to wash our hands a lot more? It was a reactive measure, driven by necessity. But in hindsight, many of us realized: better hygiene wasn’t just good during a crisis — it was good, period. In the same way, the practices encouraged by CRA—like real-time monitoring, trace analysis, and observability-driven development—aren’t just about checking regulatory boxes. They’re about building stronger, more resilient systems.

At Percepio, we call this mindset Continuous Observability. It’s about extending the visibility you have during development and test into the field—so you can detect, debug, and improve continuously. That’s not just good hygiene; that’s long-term product health.

Yes, stress levels are high right now. But if we use this moment to strengthen our processes—to integrate observability into CI/CT pipelines and field operations—we’re not just surviving the wave of regulation. We’re building better products.

Are you curious to see what this looks like in practice? Read more in our latest article:
The Growing Importance of Continuous Observability in the Age of Cyber Resilience

Andreas Lifvendahl, CEO