Security is arguably one of the most critical issues that Internet of Things (IoT) networks will be facing this decade. A recently launched UK-based company believes that standardization is the key to keeping IoT devices up to date with security solutions.
Foundries.io promises a platform that will unify “fragmented” IoT networks by delivering continuous software updates to help protect devices from cyber attacks.
“Our mission is solving the problem of IoT and embedded space, where there is no standardized core platform like Android for phones,” said Foundries.io CEO George Grey.
Between high standards for security protocols from the Z-Wave Alliance of IoT companies, and incidents like last year’s Tesla hack, partnerships and startups are surfacing everywhere, with IoT security as their focus.
And it’s for a good reason. Last year marked the point when IoT devices officially outnumbered human beings on the planet. According to Gartner, roughly $235 billion was spent on the IoT in 2016, with 6.4 billion devices in the field. By 2020, Gartner forecasts that there will be nearly 21 billion devices deployed in a wide array of industries, ranging from agriculture to utilities.
“Without the ability to update to the most current software, these networked devices face risks of failure and of cyber attacks,” warns Foundries.io.
The company is offering its over-the-air microPlatforms on a monthly subscription basis, meaning that users won’t need to pay per-unit fees.
This business model ensures that device makers won’t be “penalized” by the success of their products, according to Foundries.io. The company also assures that subscribers are welcome to cancel any time.
“If you want to stop subscribing, you take over maintenance and you still have access to everything up to the point. You just have to arrange maintenance yourself,” explained Grey.
Foundries.io will offer two microPlatforms for commercial use: one for simpler devices, and another for larger, more complex ones.
For more complex devices, Foundries.io offers the Linux OE microPlatform, which was built using OpenEmbedded/Yocto. The Linux OE subscription costs $25,000 a year, while the Zephyr RTOS microPlatform for simpler devices costs $10,000 a year.
There is also a subscription option available for $10 a month, which is intended for evaluation, education or personal use.
Foundries.io’s main partner and source of funding is Linaro Ltd, a leading global software company that delivers open-source software for the Arm ecosystem.
The company expects to announce more investors later in 2018.