Kudelski partners with Sigfox for IoT device security

The Kudelski Group and Sigfox partner on IoT device security

CHESEAUX, Switzerland, and PHOENIX (AZ), USA — The Kudelski Group (SIX:KUD.S) today announced a new partnership with Sigfox, a leading global provider of connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT). The partnership will set the basis for collaboration between the Kudelski Group and Sigfox to address increasing security expectations in the fast-growing IoT market worldwide.

Sigfox partners – including silicon vendors, device makers, design houses – and customers will now have access to the expertise of the Kudelski Group’s IoT Security Center of Excellence to optimize the security around the deployment of Sigfox-enabled products and better protect the related data. In addition, technology adopters will be able to leverage services that help them ensure their customer devices and systems meet desired security levels at all stages of development.

“Sigfox is one of the world’s leading providers of Internet of Things connectivity. We are pleased to leverage our extensive experience in device and software security to accelerate the adoption of embedded security in the IoT market”, said Andrew Howard, CTO of Kudelski Security, in charge of the Kudelski Group’s IoT Security Center of Excellence. “Through the skills and long-term expertise of the engineering and security teams in our IoT Security Center of Excellence, we will help address the growing security concerns with the expanding IoT market and enable clients to drive greater value to their customer base.”

The IoT Security Center of Excellence will support the partnership using IoT Security Design and Assessment services to help Sigfox technology adopters to deploy IoT Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) solutions with greater confidence, since security and privacy are important elements to allow mass market adoption. The Kudelski Group’s IoT Security Posture Improvement services propose best-in-class technologies and own patented mechanisms in order to address the security gaps identified during the security assessment stage and ensure an unprecedented level of security. With these services, Sigfox customers and partners can get adequate security controls in their entire IoT ecosystem to resist even the most advanced threats.

“It is increasingly important to consider and plan security architecture at the very beginning of design and development of an IoT solution”, said Laetitia Jay, Chief Marketing Officer at Sigfox. “From day one, Sigfox’s core architecture has been secure by design. Our partners and customers will now benefit from the strategic partnership with the Kudelski Group to build and run secure end-to-end IoT applications.”

The IoT landscape is expanding rapidly with analysts such as Gartner, Inc. anticipating 25 billion connected devices by 2020 (Gartner Forecast: IoT Security, Worldwide, April 2016]. While the IoT is driving innovation and growth, serious concerns have arisen over the security of devices, the IoT ecosystems and the privacy and integrity of data transmitted. The IoT attack surface is huge and growing, comprising a vast ecosystem of devices and technologies, different communications protocols, platforms, applications and infrastructures. For vendors and integrators, ineffective security could harm overall return on investments through a negative impact on product and service adoption and brand reputation, and has led to a growing demand for proven security tactics and technology for the IoT space.