GlobalSign and Infineon Join Forces to Strengthen IoT Trustworthiness

The IoT is still trying to solve its trust problem – not just in the consumer world, where the headlines are full of “beware Skynet” rhetoric, but also in the Healthcare, Transportation, Smart City and, most troublingly, Industrial IoT spaces.

With the goal of addressing this problem, GMO GlobalSign, a global Certificate Authority and provider of identity and security solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT), and semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies, have announced a solution designed to secure, simplify, and streamlines device enrollment into Microsoft Azure IoT Hub and IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service. The collaboration reportedly eases complex device identity integration challenges and could deliver a path for IoT device security from chip to cloud.

Central to the solution, the partners said, is the cross-signing of Infineon’s on-premises Certificate Authority, by GlobalSign’s globally recognized and WebTrust audited Certificate Authority. This mutuality will expand the trustworthiness of the endorsement certificates that Infineon self-issues and flashes onto each of their OPTIGATM TPM SLM 9670, and make them verifiable up to the GlobalSign Root, according to the release.

“A healthy and secure IoT ecosystem is stronger with strategic partners who innovate and collaborate,” said Lancen LaChance, VP, IoT Solutions, GlobalSign. “GlobalSign and key technology partners like Infineon and Microsoft Azure foster success for our mutual customers. Together we have built a competitive advantage for IoT device manufacturers, system integrators and operators that gives them a secure, seamless path to Azure enrollment.”

“Unique device identities are essential to connect securely to the cloud,” said Juergen Rebel, VP and GM, Embedded Security, Infineon Technologies. “With our new OPTIGATM TPM integration kit, you can connect your device securely to Microsoft Azure IoT in less than an hour.”

These security, trust and privacy discussions are critical to the success of the IoT as an industry, and to the growth of the companies operating within it. Plan now to continue these lines of strategic thinking at the IoT Evolution Expo, coming in February 2021 in Miami.