Thales has teamed up with a trio of other companies to develop a new IoT security solution. The company’s IoT SAFE application is compliant with the GSMA’s latest IoT SAFE requirements, and was developed in collaboration with Telstra, Microsoft, and Arduino.

The application itself was built to establish a trusted line of communication between the cloud and an IoT device. Thales noted that the cloud needs to be able to trust the data coming from a device, especially for tasks that require the exchange of sensitive user information. The same is true in reverse, insofar as the device needs to know that the cloud network is secure.

The IoT SAFE application ensures confidentiality, using a Digital Certificate stored in the device’s SIM or eSIM utility to create a secure connection between a device and a server. That connection will be generated automatically when the new device is turned on, as long as the device has a SIM or eSIM with the Thales solution.

IoT SAFE will provide scalable security for a range of IoT devices with different chips and operating systems from different manufacturers. The solution links devices to the cloud through cellular networks, and has been integrated with Microsoft’s Azure IoT Hub.   

“By bringing together each technology layer, we can deliver a more streamlined approach to IoT security,” said Tony Shakib, Microsoft’s General Manager for Azure IoT Business Acceleration. “This allows customers to focus on creating business value from their solutions while ensuring their IoT deployments remain secure.”

“Being able to offer standardized, easy to implement IoT security is a huge leap forward for all use cases, including smart energy, automotive, health, and home solutions,” added Telstra Global IoT Solutions Executive Gerhard Loots.

The IoT solution arrives shortly after Thales released new passwordless authentication devices geared towards enterprise customers using Microsoft Azure AD apps and services. In January, Thales also became the first company to achieve Common Criteria security standard with its mobile ID software.