Please tell us more about yourself?

I’m Philip Attfield, CEO of Sequitur Labs Inc. I have more than 25 years of experience in computing, networking, security and systems modeling at both large and small enterprises. I began my career at Nortel where I was a member of the scientific staff, developing software tools and in-house products for modeling, synthesis and verification of telecom and network equipment hardware. I later founded Signal 9 Solutions, which pioneered PC/desktop firewalls and created the Conseal brand of security products. At Boeing, I led the team responsible for the development of large-scale security policy and management framework. I’ve served in a number of high-profile roles in the field of digital forensics and am a frequent keynote speaker at international security conferences.

What is Sequitur Labs’ mission and what unique products/solutions do you provide?

Sequitur Labs is a software company developing and commercializing revolutionary technologies to improve embedded device and system security, manageability, and trustworthiness in the connected economy. Sequitur helps device OEMs reduce the cost and complexity of implementing security correctly by providing packaged software as a product. Sequitur’s software leverages advanced, on-chip hardware security technologies to deliver high-value strong security, economical and accessible security solutions.

Sequitur’s software solutions are critical security enablers for a large, worldwide market of device makers that need strong security but cannot afford the in-house expertise. Sequitur’s business approach includes demystifying and driving down the cost of security, simplifying deployment, and messaging the business value of security.

Could you give us a walkthrough of Sequitur’s products and what sets them apart?

The EmSPARK Security Suite was designed to address solutions in industries where embedded security is paramount such as industrial control, building automation, the smart home, machine vision, automotive communication, and medical devices. Built on three pillars of product security – design, build and sustain, EmSPARK provides device manufacturers with the firmware, tools and APIs needed to properly execute IoT protection. Our latest version of the EmSPARK Security Suite provides a robust security framework protecting embedded firmware, keys and security-critical assets through the entire device lifecycle. It enables silicon hardware security features, secure device provisioning, and API access to essential trust services such as secure storage, firmware updates and payload verification.

The EmSPARK Security Suite delivers a host of capabilities, including the integration of OpenSSL with functions secured by ARM TrustZone and preconfigured to use cryptographic functions available processors supporting this technology in hardware. The EmSPARK Security Suite also includes key management functions that form the basis of several secure processes such as trusted boot, storage and authentication with IoT clouds.

This allows developers to focus on building their application and/or device rather than spend time reading through data sheets to configure various hardware components. The result is that they can get their products to market faster.

Having an IoT security solution in place does not guarantee protection against an attack. How does your company offer greater assurance?

Devices secured by the EmSPARK Security Suite help customers reduce the risk and liability associated with IoT deployments. The Suite covers security requirements relevant at various stages of a product’s lifecycle.

We believe that a product must be secured from the time it is manufactured to the time it is decommissioned. This ensures that a company’s intellectual property (IP) is not stolen, the device operates without compromise at any point in its life, and that customer data is protected at all times. Additionally, it ensures that connections with remote systems, such as IoT cloud servers, are secure and tamper-proof.

For example, the EmSPARK Security Suite enables implementing a root of trust, which supports a variety of secure processes such as trusted boot. It creates a dual operating environment because a TrustZone-enabled processor can switch between secure and non-secure states. This allows isolating and separating critical material and data in a hardware secured area, dramatically improving device security. Developers can easily build applications that use secure resources without having to become experts in cryptography and complex hardware security technologies.

Analysts predict the global IoT security space will grow to USD $36.6 billion by 2025. Where do you see the future of IoT going?

With as many as 60 billion smart devices expected to be online in the near future, the likelihood that IoT products, applications and systems are going to be the main points of vulnerability from an organizational security standpoint seems fairly obvious. There are lots of lines of security built into corporate data centers to prevent break-ins and malicious attacks from cybercriminals but not nearly as much effort to secure the devices connecting to those data centers. The greatest obstacle to a future serviced by smart devices is security, including aggressive new variants that attack endpoints at the edge and threaten embedded computing systems.

IoT security is at an inflection point. In-house efforts to address device-level security are difficult and expensive, making it an unattractive option for many manufacturers. But I believe that the success of our industry will be achieved by helping developers build applications that use secure resources without having them having to become experts in cryptography and complex hardware security technologies. IoT will only be successful if device manufacturers and system operators can successfully and economically protect against threats. Working hand-in-hand with a comprehensive IoT security software solution will promote the growth of the industry beyond analysts’ predictions.

The post Improving IoT Security in the Connected Economy appeared first on Tech Trends.

Big data is getting even bigger. The average consumer will access and generate vast amounts of information over the course of any normal day. Yet power users, or “prosumers” like myself who also rely on data for all their work, need (or at least want) even more connectivity than your regular 4G devices are able to offer.

Big data is getting even bigger #Making5GReal @MiFi #MiFiIQ
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At the same time, emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, robotics, 5G and IoT are all converging to enable use cases that will dramatically impact business and the way we all live. Enterprise and business use cases such as Virtual Reality and telemedicine also require military-grade data security and encryption.

The average consumer will access and generate vast amounts of information every day #Making5GReal @MiFi #MiFiIQ
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High throughput, speed and bandwidth, combined with low latency have long been the promises of 5G. A lot of folks in the industry have talked about that in theory, but with real-world trials now happening with various operators, what kind of performance can actually be delivered in reality?

Inseego has a rich history in advancing connectivity dating back from the 1990’s, although you might be more familiar with their previous name of Novatel Wireless. Two years ago the company famous for inventing the MiFi® and the mobile hotspot category rebranded as Inseego, but regardless of the name they operate under, this is a company with some serious pedigree where it comes to delivering next-generation end device connectivity. Having quietly powered the 2G, 3G and 4G revolutions, they are now delivering 5G through their MiFi IQ technlology which is set to become the overarching 5G technology device brand for both mobile and fixed (in-home/in-office) wireless – for consumers as well as prosumers.

Power users rely on data for work and will need more connectivity than your average 4G devices is able to offer #Making5GReal @MiFi #MiFiIQ
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A large number of Tier One telecommunications operators around the world are actively working with the company on bringing their 5G NR services to life – both mobile (hotspots) and fixed/in-home 5G (routers, gateways and more) – through MiFi IQ device technology throughout 2019. Availability with numerous carriers are in the works, although Verizon, Telstra, Optus and several others have already made public announcements.

While mobile 5G (hotspots) will bring next-generation networks to life on-the-go, in-home 5G is already emerging as an alternative to traditional in-home broadband internet from cable providers. In fact, there have been reports in the United States that early customers of Verizon 5G Home, the leading carrier’s recently launched fixed wireless service, are converts who previously purchased their broadband Internet connectivity from traditional cable companies.

Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, robotics, 5G and IoT are converging to dramatically impact business and the way we live #Making5GReal @MiFi #MiFiIQ
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Whether it’s their emerging in-home or mobile devices, MiFi IQ 5G NR technology has been performing in real-world trial scenarios
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Whether it’s their emerging in-home or mobile devices, MiFi IQ 5G NR technology has been performing in real-world trial scenarios. In fact, data points to the devices already having achieved more than 2 Gbps of speed and sub-10 milliseconds of latency in multiple component carrier aggregation (CA) scenarios. This was also showcased in Barcelona, with MiFi IQ 5G hotspots being the only devices of their kind to be running live on 5G NR network infrastructure at the conference.

To showcase the capabilities of the MiFi IQ 5G NR hotspot at MWC, they performed the world’s longest live 5G data call alongside network infrastructure partner Ericsson, streaming video and other data for almost seven hours at the show.

“This is an exciting milestone for 5G NR. And our MiFi IQ 5G NR hotspot is the only hotspot to be running live at Mobile World Congress this week,” said Ashish Sharma Chief Marketing Officer, EVP IoT & Mobile Solutions at Inseego.

While the MiFi IQ lines are focused on consumers and prosumers, Ctrack by Inseego and Skyus by Inseego highlights the convergence of 5G and IoT device-to-cloud solutions.

IoT device-to-cloud intelligent solutions include Ctrack by Inseego (this is a widely used IoT device-to-cloud telematics/fleet tracking solution around the world – including with prominent fleets, airlines like Lufthansa/KLM Equipment Services/etc.) and Skyus by Inseego – Industrial IoT 5G/LTE gateways/routers/etc. as well as intelligent cloud software.

Inseego has a rich history in advancing connectivity dating back from the 1990’s where they were known as Novatel #Making5GReal @MiFi #MiFiIQ
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MiFi IQ 5G Fixed Wireless

MiFi IQ technology is powering 5G NR in-home/in-office deployment – starting with Verizon 5G Home, Optus in Australia and expanding worldwide. Routers/gateways and other equipment brings 5G “indoors,” giving consumers/prosumers another choice for broadband Internet service. The next generation in home connectivity will be available to areas that aren’t currently served adequately by cable companies, adding extra benefits like superior bandwidth and security. Now, it’s coming from the air instead of cables.

A number of Tier One operators around the world are working with Inseego to bring their 5G NR services to life #Making5GReal @MiFi #MiFiIQ
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SoftBank-backed CloudMinds also marked the global debut of its technology powered by the HARIX Cloud Brain platform and connected with MiFi IQ 5G NR technology at MWC.

At MWC I checked out their XR-1 robot in action. This is the first humanoid service robot with vision-controlled manipulation capabilities powered by Cloud AI via 5G connectivity. It features Smart Compliant Actuator (SCA) technology for precision grasping, and Human Augmented Robotics Intelligence using the company’s eXtreme Reality (HARIX) platform, the robot can be controlled remotely by a person in a different location wearing VR goggles, but can also perform a range of intricate tasks autonomously. such as threading a needle or shaking hands with someone, applying the right amount of pressure as they do so. These “tactile capability” tasks might seem simple, but are actually incredibly difficult to perform to what would be deemed an acceptable level of competency in an average human.

Inseego performed world’s longest live 5G data call with their partners Ericsson at #MWC19 #Making5GReal @MiFi #MiFiIQ
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One of the robots at the show, named Rachel, was able to find and grab a bottle as it was placed around a table, then “serve” it to a guest. Two other robots were performing an intricate dance with, I have to say, considerably more grace and rhythm than I’ve seen on many a wedding dance floor.

All of these demonstrations were great fun to watch, but the point they were demonstrating is that in order to enable all that to happen, the robots needed to be plugged into a high throughput/speed infrastructure with virtually no delay (latency) all of which were brilliantly delivered by MiFi IQ 5G connectivity. It helps to paints a vibrant picture of how cloud artificial intelligence, robotics and 5G connectivity are coming together to transform various industries and society as a whole.

One of the #CloudMinds robots at MWC, named Rachel, was able to find and grab a bottle as it was placed around a table, then serve it to a guest #Making5GReal @MiFi #MiFiIQ
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Alice Bonasio is an Emerging Technologies Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She regularly contributes to publications such as Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Alice also curates the Inside VR & AR Newletter. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Re-imagining 5G Connectivity appeared first on Tech Trends.