By Lindsay Hilbelink
Connected technologies continue to catalyze innovation across industries.
In 2023 alone, IoT-connected devices surged by an estimated 16% — a testament to the rapid evolution of the digital landscape.
Yet, amidst this exponential growth lies a significant challenge: secure deployment.
Consider the deployment of IoT sensors and automation solutions across multiple manufacturing plants. Each deployment will require an on-site, technically skilled and trusted worker to spend significant time provisioning each device.
In addition to the drain on the integrator’s resources, the manual deployment process introduces the risk of human error and exposes critical cybersecurity data. The costs and risks of the solutions’ deployment only increase with each new device and locale.
Now imagine this scenario instead: An integrator develops a solution using Eurotech’s Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP)-enabled integrated hardware and software. Devices are sent to each manufacturing facility where one of the plant’s non-technical workers simply plugs the device in, powers it on and connects to the onboarding interface.
From there, the solution automatically:
- Onboards with the certificate provider and securely receives operational certificate credentials
- Provisions to cloud application services
- Renews certificates on a pre-defined basis, ensuring stringent ongoing security
In this instance, the integrator doesn’t need to send out technically skilled workers, risk human error impacting timelines or worry about the introduction of cybersecurity risks from sharing the device key with the installer.
Instead, a simple plug-and-play technology reduces costs, improves timelines and maximizes security.
Eurotech takes this advantage one step further by combining it with the Cybersecurity Wizard (CSW), a package of automated cybersecurity features.
As security threats continue to mount, companies and regulatory bodies are placing more stringent cybersecurity requirements on connected systems.
ZTP + CSW helps organizations align with industry best practices by enabling automatic:
- Disablement of unnecessary interfaces related to development and deployment
- Certificate-based authentication
- Implementation of network hardening
- Ongoing intrusion detection and prevention
As industries continue to embrace digital transformation and the Internet of Things (IoT), Zero Touch Provisioning, enhanced by Cybersecurity Wizard, will play a crucial role in enabling secure, efficient and scalable device deployments.
By leveraging ZTP + CSW through Eurotech, organizations can exceed customer requirements while optimizing their bottom line.
Lindsay Hilbelink is global strategic marketing manager for Eurotech. You can reach her at lindsay.hilbelink@eurotech.com.
This content is sponsored by Eurotech.
