The fastest, most secure way to market: IoT security with zero touch provisioning

On-boarding IoT devices to the cloud used to be time consuming and cumbersome. Now all you have to do is turn on your device.

Effective on-boarding of IoT devices to IoT cloud platforms is not just a matter of convenience, it can make a big difference in the success of your IoT venture. When you manage a few tens of devices, IoT security is not a problem. Neither is on-boarding them to IoT cloud platforms, nor the deploying of certificates. But when you scale up to several thousands of IoT devices, managing them all can become complicated with operational challenges that could end up slowing down your business.

Take IoT sensor devices, for example. Before deploying an IoT sensor application to a customer and into the field, each individual device needs to be provisioned to the cloud, one-by-one, in a multi-step procedure. Typically, this involves first registering its root certification authority (CA) certificate to the IoT cloud platform. Once registered, a device certificate is derived from that root and securely delivered into the device.

These steps represent actual operational activities that impact cost, in particular when repeated on thousands of devices. And it doesn’t stop there. In all IoT deployments, managing certificates is a difficult challenge that requires a sophisticated and secure infrastructure and process, with ongoing effort. Failure to renew certificates before they expire can put your IoT assets at risk, block the source of your revenue, and potentially impact your standing in the market.

Focus on growing your business with the u-blox SARA-R5

Speeding up the deployment of your IoT devices lets you get to market quickly and focus on growing your business instead of on operational burdens. The u-blox SARA-R5 LTE-M modules vastly simplify data protection for IoT devices, while providing scalability and safeguarding your business and your reputation.

SARA-R5 modules are based on the u-blox UBX-R5 cellular chipset and the u-blox M8 GNSS receiver chip. They are secure by design: each module has a unique and immutable identity based on a robust root of trust that forms the basis for a trusted set of advanced security functionality, available as u-blox IoT Security-as-a-Service. By establishing all technology building blocks in house, with full hardware and software ownership, u-blox can guarantee long-term device availability and provide lifetime support for the entire platform, from silicon to cloud.

Zero touch provisioning makes IoT security easy

With u-blox zero touch provisioning, it only takes three steps to securely on-board your IoT devices to the IoT cloud platform of your choice:

Download the root CA certificate from u-blox’s Thingstream service delivery platform
Register the root certificate with the IoT cloud platform
Turn on the IoT device

And that’s all there is to it. The once time-consuming and cumbersome task is now automatically executed by simply turning on your IoT device. Multiply that times the several thousands of IoT devices your business deploys, and you can quickly recognize the benefits. Real zero-touch provisioning makes certificate delivery over the air and the device on-boarding to the IoT cloud platform simple and secure. That is how u-blox SARA-R5 with IoT Security-as-a-Service can minimize operational complexities to maximize business focus and get you to market quickly.