Infrastructure made of connected things is highly trending as organizations are in the process of adopting Internet of Things. At the same time security concerns around these connected devices continues to be a bottleneck for IoT adoption. In an effort to improve IoT security, earlier this month, Microsoft released Azure Sphere, a cost-effective way of securing connected devices.
Gartner claims that worldwide spending on IoT security will reach 1.5 billion in 2018. Azure Sphere is basically a suite of services, used to enhance IoT security. Following are the services included in the suite:
Azure Sphere MCUs
These are a certified class of microcontrollers specially designed for security of internet of things. It follows a cross-over mechanism which allows the combination of running realt-time and application processors with built-in microsoft security mechanism and connectivity. MCU chips are designed using custom silicon security technology, made by Microsoft. Some of the highlights are:
- A pluton security subsystem to execute complex cryptographic operations
- A cross-over MCU with the combination of both Cortex-A and Cortext M class processor.
- Build-in network connectivity to ensure devices are upto date
Azure Sphere OS
Azure Sphere OS is nothing but a Linux distro used to securely run the internet of things. This highly scalable and secure operating system can be used to run the specialized MCUs by adding an extra layer of security. Some of the highlights are:
- Secured application containers focussing on agility and robustness
- A custom Linux Kernel enabling silicon diversity and innovation
- A security monitor to manage access and integrity
The Azure Sphere Security Service
An end-to-end security service solely dedicated to secure Azure sphere devices, enhancing security, identifying threats, and managing trust between cloud and device endpoints. Following are the highlights:
- Protects your devices using certificate based-authentication system.
- Ensure devices authenticity by ensuring that they are running on genuine software
- Managing automated updates for Azure Sphere OS, for threat and incident response
- Easy deployment of software updates to Azure Sphere connected devices.
For more information, refer the official Microsoft blog.
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