Samsung Adds New 'Enterprise Grade' Security Features To Artik, Its End-To-End IoT Platform
Samsung on Tuesday broadened its Internet of Things Artik platform with new features to make connected device deployments more secure and easier for channel partners.
The platform, announced at IoT World in Santa Clara, Calif., now enables secure services for device onboarding, so that customers can automatically onboard into the network; new device and user management services; and edge node management services.
"Artik has been evolving since its inception," James Stansberry, senior vice president and head of Artik U.S, at Samsung, told CRN. "It's now an enterprise-grade program that helps reduce time to market, increase growth opportunities without limits to interoperability, and make it easier for companies to secure IoT."
In addition to new management features, Artik also now enables customers to carry out secure OTA (over the air) updates, so users can manage their fleets once they are deployed in a secure way.
"Security is a strong value proposition for channel partners – when they go meet with the CIO or chief security officers, that's what they want to talk about," said Stansberry. "With these new updates to Artik, we're enabling our channel partners to have that conversation."
On the channel side, Samsung continues to strengthen its partner ecosystem around the Internet of Things. The company announced a distribution partnership with Mouser Electronics for its family of modules, development kits and accessories, which Stansberry said would help the company "reach a wider audience and help speed up IoT development and time to market."
As part of this partner ecosystem, Samsung said it had secured a vendor partnership with VMware, allowing the company to integrate Little IoT Agent support for Samsung Artik modules.
On the hardware side, Samsung unveiled a new module, the Artik 053, for connected home devices, building automation products, health care devices, and industrial applications.
This module, which packs an ARM Cortex processor and runs on Wi-Fi, is targeted for these IoT applications through its high-performance and security capabilities. The Artik 053 is available through distribution partners, including Arrow Electronics, Digi-Key, Mouser Electronics and Mujin.
Partners can also benefit from Samsung's new QuickStart program, which supports businesses through helping them connect their products to Artik cloud.
This program offers partners on-site workshops and training to help them build IoT solutions quickly. The program also offers an array of services like software, firmware, cloud, mobile apps and development to help support IoT deployments.
Samsung first launched its Artik platform in 2015 as an open platform that includes processor chips and circuit boards, along with memory, software and other services "designed to help accelerate development of a new generation of better, smarter IoT devices."
"I think in general IoT is just getting started so all the major players are putting forward their solutions," said Lee Drake, CEO of Rochester, N.Y.-based solution provider OS-Cubed Inc.
Looking forward, Stansberry said Samsung will continue building out its Artik IoT platform to support partners.
"Samsung continues to help our customers by expanding our Artik platform with technologies essential to the next generation of IoT and adding to our growing list of technology and distribution partners," he said.