Eystein Stenberg, CTO and Co-Founder, Northern.tech was on hand on the latest episode of IoT Unplugged to share insights into device lifecycle management and IoT security.
Northern.tech is a software company based in Norway and Stenberg approached device lifecycle management and the state of IoT security from his position working with software.
Stenberg spoke to IoT Insider off the back of the publication of Northern.tech’s report into the state of industrial IoT device lifecycle management, with one finding highlighting that businesses must plan for increasing complexity and cybersecurity, as the number of connected devices grows.
Security in IoT is very much in its “maturity curve”, Stenberg said, but OEMs are well aware of its importance. Because systems have become more advanced and the number of functions IoT devices can perform has increased, that’s precisely where the complexity comes into play.
Using the example of the automotive industry, Stenberg pointed out the various components that communicate with one another in a connected car, including electronic control units (ECUs), and need to be interoperable. The rise of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) means there is much more code involved and more software that needs to be managed.
The pressure, then, is on for OEMs to become more technical and understand what each component does.
Device lifecycle management should be a core part of the design phase, because retrofitting devices once they’re out in the field can be difficult.
“You need to design for this early. It will save you a lot of pain down the road,” Stenberg stressed.
The Cyber Resilience Act, which will require companies selling products with a digital element into the EU market to comply, is expected to provide a baseline for device security and is predominantly targeting manufacturers who have perhaps been lax on the security side, according to Stenberg.
To learn more about what Stenberg had to say about device lifeycle management and security, listen to the full podcast episode available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and at the link below.
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