Our partner EtherWAN has recognised the ever-increasing importance of security in wireless data transmission, as well as the need for trust in Industrial IoT devices, and has announced the launch of the AiR GUARD Industrial IoT Cellular Smart Security Gateway. Integrated with the Microsoft Azure Sphere security solution, EtherWAN’s AiR GUARD is an advanced cellular gateway specifically optimized for secure IoT data transmission. Offering not only secure connectivity, AiR GUARD also supports the most common industrial protocols, as well as easy to use data pre-processing and conversion for efficient and low-cost edge to cloud connectivity.

Devices with sensors, processors, and software that connect to the Internet are becoming ubiquitous. There are already billions of such devices being deployed every year. While most of these devices are consumer-oriented, many are incorporated into critical industrial systems, including agriculture, transportation, and energy. However, the explosive growth of IoT technologies has brought with it a host of security concerns. EtherWAN’s AiR GUARD is designed and engineered to efficiently deal with both known and unknown vulnerabilities in the coming convergence of information technology/operation technology.

In coming projects, EtherWAN will cooperate with IoT Software as a service (SaaS) partners to implement AiR GUARD with Azure Cloud service for a major Asian food processor, in order to prevent the risk of OT data transmission to SCADA. Additionally, AiR GUARD will support an energy management system that leverages Microsoft Azure IoT services.

Microsoft Azure Sphere provides multiple layers of security to prevent attacks, starting at the hardware layer and extending to the cloud. Azure Sphere security includes a automated error reporting at the device level and continual security improvements and updates developed by Microsoft security research to help proactively defend against emerging threats. This technology, combined with EtherWAN’s expertise in industrial network connectivity, results in a gateway that offers highly-reliable network connection, through global 3G/4G LTE Cat.4, operation at temperatures ranging from -40 to 75°C. Not only does the AiR GUARD support the MQTT protocol and OpenVPN, it is also equipped with one port of IEEE802.3at Power over Ethernet, allowing for convenient video streaming via VPN.

“ AiR GUARD is a device that integrates customer’s needs in the field, utilizing our connectivity expertise and this outstanding security service solution from Microsoft to deliver a cutting-edge IIoT security gateway,” said Maggie Chao, General Manager at EtherWAN.

“The results of our collaboration with EtherWAN on security technology will help customers safeguard a wide range of connected devices in both IoT and IIoT applications,” said Lakecia Gunter, VP and GM, Microsoft IoT Global Partner Solutions. “EtherWAN has demonstrated it has the experience, technological know-how, and manufacturing resources to maximize the many advantages of Azure Sphere and its defense-in-depth security.”

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