Cloud giant
Microsoft has turned to Linux for Azure Internet of Things (IoT) security. Redmond, Washington, United States-based Microsoft is a leading cloud company. Its ‘Azure’ cloud platform offers a range of services including cloud compute, storage and ‘Big Data’ analytics. The company has made a considerable investment in IoT over recent years and its recently released ‘Azure Sphere OS’ is designed to run on IoT devices.
Microsoft’s move has surprised the industry – in the past the company had shown little interest in Linux solutions. It is though eager to promote Azure as a secure IoT solution. Microsoft Azure Sphere was announced at the recent RSA 2018 event at the Moscone Center, San Francisco, California, United States. Although it is intended to secure “billions of MCU powered devices”, it is not a ‘pure’ Linux solution.
Azure Sphere OS is a minimal OS designed specifically to enable IoT devices. It runs on Microsoft-designed microcontroller chips (MCUs) which offer limited resources – so limited they cannot hold even a stripped-down version of Windows. The system’s security will be managed through OS patches provides by the Azure Sphere Security Service.
“In the next decade, nearly every consumer gadget, every household appliance, and every industrial device will be connected to the Internet,” explained Galen Hunt Partner Managing Director, Microsoft Azure Sphere on the company’s blog. “These connected devices will also become more intelligent with the ability to predict, talk, listen, and more. The companies who manufacture these devices will have an opportunity to reimagine everything and fundamentally transform their businesses with new product offerings, new customer experiences, and differentiate against competition with new business models”.
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