Dear Readers,
3
V
iewpoint
May 2016
All experts agree about that the Internet
of Things (IoT) will change the way we
will live in future. And not only our pri-
vate lives but also way we will work in
future. The electronics industry is devel-
oping at the moment the preconditions.
You´ll even realize this when you have
a look at the content of this combined
issue of ECE and B&S. Our cover story
describes the necessary hardware com-
ponents for IoT – powerful embedded
computersThis alsomeans that he small
form factor trend has conquered the
high-end industrial computing market.
Intel Xeon processors are now available as highly integrated and rug-
ged BGA versions. This opens the door for a new category of embedded
computing platforms: Server-on-Modules. Utilizing the COM Express
specification for this newmodule class makes a lot of sense concludes the
cover story. Read more at page 6.
Und there is another precondition for the success of IoT and the Indus-
trial Internet of Things (IIOT) – maximum security. This is not only
a matter of software but also a matter of hardware. The article “hard-
ware-based solutions secure machine identities in smart factories” start-
ing at page 10 illustrates that security is a cornerstone of Industry 4.0
a subset of the IIoT. Secure cryptographic identification of machines
and devices protects smart factories against manipulation and data theft.
Hardware trust anchors implemented with dedicated security chips pro-
vide robust protection for security keys while lowering overall security
expenses for device manufacturers. By using state-of-the-art microcon-
trollers and stand-alone security controllers such as the OPTIGA prod-
uct family as example it is possible to implement a hardware-based trust
anchor that protects the system software against attacks. The key to suc-
cessful protection lies in the use of open industry standards that allow
seamless connectivity across existing and new systems.
But hardware protection alone doesn´t solve the whole problem - it must
be accompanied by security software to create secure systems. The arti-
cle “Requirements for IoT and IIoT in the changing connected world”
(page 14) describes the requirements and solutions to ensure safety and
cyber security. It covers aspects including secure boot, firmware updates,
licensing and know-how protection as well as new business opportuni-
ties for device manufacturers.
But how to make money out of the new business opportunities of IoT
and IIoT?This explains the article “Flexible licensing models in the Inter-
net of Things at page 18. It shows that the Internet of Things is turning
engineering companies into software providers. Thus, securing intellec-
tual property (IP) is especially important. License management plays a
major role in this. New licensing solutions not only protect embedded
software; they also entail new business opportunities. These include flex-
ible licensing models such as pay-per-use, function and capacity-based
licensing, software keys and subscriptions.This type of licensing requires
constant changes, in order to meet the user demands. Therefore compa-
nies need to implement Licensing-Lifecycle Management as well.
You see there is a lot going on in he embedded industry and it´s up to you
to come to the right decision to succeed in the connected world.
Yours Sincerely
Wolfgang Patelay
Editor
