In a blog post earlier this month, Microsoft announced the public preview of a new Internet of Things (IoT) service to simplify device provisioning. The Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service provides a zero-touch way to register and configure IoT devices automatically, saving users the hassle of manually inputting credentials on each individual device.
The service begins with the device manufacturers, who initially program the device with the provisioning service information, rather than a device ID or hardcoded connection information. Thus, the device can call on the provisioning service directly for connection and assignment information.Additionally, IoT devices can update their provisioning information without having to re-flash the device (hence the zero-touch claim). Though intended for devices with a hardware security module (HSM), the Device Provisioning Service can work for devices with or without an HSM.
After an initial setup by the user, the Device Provisioning Service automatically takes care of both aspects of IoT device provisioning: registering the device (i.e., connecting it to the IoT application) and configuring the device (dependent upon what IoT application it was registered to). Unless there’s a change in the application requirements, the user can remain hands-off throughout the process.
The Device Provisioning Service supports a number of user requirements, with multiple types of allocation policies, support for multiple IoT hubs, re-provisioning based on device changes and more. Ultimately, the service is intended to make it easier to manage IoT solutions.
“Azure IoT is committed to offering you services that take the pain out of deploying and managing an IoT solution in a secure, reliable way,” wrote Sam George in the blog post announcing the public preview. For IoT solutions involving thousands or millions of devices, there’s certainly a lot of pain to be saved with automatic provisioning solutions.
The Device Provisioning Service is currently available in East U.S., West Europe and Southeast Asia, and Azure users are encouraged to send in feedback before the global release.
To learn more about the Azure IoT Hub, check out “Why Is the Azure IoT Hub Throttling My Service?”