EnrgTech

IoT security IoT security challenges Securing constrained devices Authorizes and authenticates devices Managing device updates Securing communication Ensuring data privacy Ensuring data integrity Securing web, mobile and cloud applications Ensuring high availability Managing vulnerabilities Detecting vulnerabilities and incidents Predicting and preempting security issues Microchip and AWS collaboration The PIC32MZEF series The SAMA5D2 The ATECC608A Summary There is no way a thermostat can enable hackers to gain access to the network and steal data you’re your right? Wrong! In April this year, hackers used a connected thermostat to get a foothold of a casino’s network. They then accessed the database and pulled back data across the network up to the cloud. This is just one in many incidences of  IoT  security breaches that have topped headlines this year. All these breaches highlight the security challenges associated with IoT netwo...

IoT gateways An IoT gateway is either a physical device or a software that connects the intelligent devices, controller, and sensors to the cloud. Data being to or from the cloud passes through the gateway. The gate is also referred to as a control tier. In some  IoT networks , some sensors generate thousands of data points per second. In such networks the IoT gateway can be used as a preprocess the data locally (at the edge) before it is sent to the cloud. This minimizes the volume of data to be forwarded to the cloud which substantially reduces the response time and transmission costs. IoT gateways also provide additional security for the network and the data it transports. By virtue of managing information flowing in both directions, it can protect the data from going to the cloud from leaks. It also protects IoT devices from being compromised by malicious outside attacks. Programmable IoT gateways Typical IoT gateways just send raw streams of data among the connect...

IoT IoT has been experiencing accelerated growth in the recent past. More homes, offices, and industries are embracing this idea that is promising to change how we do live our lives. If the growth rate is maintained, it expected that by the year 2020, manufacturing, logistics and transportation and utility companies are expected to spend $40B each on IoT. During this same period,  IoT  market is expected to rise to $541B for ICT spend alone.  To match this growth, new wireless standards have bee cropping up. Today we are going to features some of the leading wireless standards the market has to offer. Top wireless standards Zigbee Zigbee is a product of Zigbee Alliance. The alliance maintains and publishes the Zigbee standard. It pushes application profiles that enable the creation of interoperable products using the Zigbee standard. Although it was conceived in 1998, hundreds of millions of devices are already using this technology. It was standardized in 200...

Global Navigation Satellite System The 22 nd  October 1707 will forever go down as the saddest day for the Royal Navy and the maritime community as a whole. The Scilly naval disaster that took place on this date claimed 1550 sailors and four warships at the Isles of Scilly. This naval disaster was blamed on several factors chief of which was the navigator’s inability to accurately establish their position. This devastating loss led to the Longitude Act of 1714 in which the British government offered to award prizes to anyone who could solve or improve the methods used to determine longitudes. It is unfortunate that none of the large prizes were ever awarded. However, this initiative led to the development of many navigation techniques and equipment later yielding in the development of the  Global Navigation Satellite System   (GNSS). What is GNSS? GNSS is a satellite-based system that could be used to pinpoint the location of a user’s receiver anywhere in the glob...

The Internet of Things The Internet of Things is close to 16 years old. It was coined in the year 1999 by Kevin Ashton while working at Procter & Gamble. At the time, Ashton was working in Supply Chain Optimization and was seeking to attract the management’s attention toward RFID which was then an emerging technology. At the time, the internet was a hot new trend and hence it made sense to call the presentation “Internet of Things”. The term did not become widespread attention at least for the next decade. IoT’s popularity gained traction in the summer of 2010. There was leaked information that Google StreetView service had made 360-degree pictures and stored a lot of data of users Wi-Fi networks. This triggered a serious debate whether this was the start of a new Google strategy to index the physical world as well as the internet. During the same year, China government announced it would make  IoT  a strategic priority for the following 5 years. This marked the b...