Intel is putting enhanced security into its IoT technology that will positively impact the speed of the deployment of the IoT ecosystem at all levels. With all the IoT devices coming online, an automated way to connect them is needed, or else severe adoption bottlenecks will result. Intel has been working on putting new unique identifiers into their IoT chips, and encouraging other manufacturers to agree on an interoperable standard for using that device identity to automatically onboard it to the underlying device management system.
A recent opinion piece in Network World by Jack Gold focused on Intel’s belief that each IoT device needs its own identity. Gold explains their Secure Device Onboard this way:
“It works by embedding a unique identifier on each chip that’s at the heart of the device. The Intel Enhanced Privacy ID (EPID) is a hardware-embedded identity that is baked into the chip during production. What’s most interesting about EPID is not just the identity. It’s the fact that it potentially enables a zero touch, or at least minimum touch, onboarding of the device by use of appropriate software tools.”
Gold went on to explain the process. “When the device is powered on and connected to the network, it sends a signal to the onboarding software management system. The management system receives the unique identifier and uses it to enroll the device into the appropriate resources (much like a directory would do for users). This eliminates the need for a manual entry of each device characteristic and allows for instantaneous and error-free onboarding.”
Gold acknowledges some limitations to the onboarding system, specifically that EPID is unique to the company, but he makes clear that in order for the full EoT/IoT vision to work universally, it will require the cooperation of standards bodies and competing vendors to work together. That’s always been a challenge, but Intel has successfully proven to be innovators who continue to make a mark in their products and standards.
Read the complete article here.
