Introducing the Next-Gen Ethernet Gateway

This three-part series will look at the three key capabilities OEMs need to consider when integrating wired Ethernet gateway functionality into their connected products. Our goal is to give you – the OEM – the tools to be successful, and Lantronix’s years of engineering expertise and technical support will not only give you peace of mind, but also accelerate your path to the Industrial Internet of Things.

XPort EDGE and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)

IIoT, A.K.A, Industry 4.0 is improving operational efficiencies and generating unprecedented growth for businesses. The research firm, Gartner predicts that by 2020, more than half of significant new business processes and systems will incorporate some element of IIoT. While certain types of connectivity are more suitable for specific applications, most Industrial OEMs prefer wired connectivity over wireless for two primary reasons:

• Faster speeds and lower latency for applications compared to wireless

• RF Noise and interference are not a concern like it is with wireless

Over the next month, we will take a deep dive into the XPort EDGE embedded Ethernet gateway and show how it is different from any available serial-to-Ethernet solution in the market today. We will begin the series by talking about IIoT security best practices, then how device lifecycle management improves operational efficiencies and saves OEM’s money on support costs and finally cloud connectivity. This in-depth examination will provide our readers with a clear picture of what to consider, what to ask for and what NOT to settle for. So, let’s get started.

Part 1 – It All Starts with Security

Security is a broad term, but in its most basic form, it refers to how organizations regulate access to assets, protect data and ensure privacy. Assets, in the world of IIoT, can be anything from commercial water filtration units to smart energy meters. Nonetheless, whoever gains unauthorized access to these assets can cause severe damage, which is why security stakeholders place a great deal of trust in suppliers to ensure system integrity, authenticity, and control at all times. Although it is nearly impossible to provide 100% security in the age of IoT, there are proven device security best practices available on the XPort EDGE to safeguard devices and data.

Device Security Best Practices: Lantronix’s Comprehensive Device Security Approach

As new security risks surface, device manufacturers need reassurance that suppliers have a plan that addresses the ongoing challenge of protecting IIoT devices. Lantronix’s comprehensive device security framework incorporates a variety of defense tactics and best practices for all stages of the product lifecycle.

• Secure Boot - Detects any tampering or alterations to embedded gateway firmware and ensures that only authorized (signed) firmware gets loaded.
• Secure Network Attach - Manages connectivity to protected network switch ports within an enterprise network utilizing 802.1X and EAP authentication, only via configuration and without needing any coding or development activities.
• Secure Data Communication - Support simple integration with secure network protocols such as TLS for data-in-motion security.
• Encrypted Storage – Securely store data-at-rest such as credentials, configuration and device data.
• Root-of-Trust – Only allows a trusted set of functions to run on the target OS.
• Secure Firmware Over the Network Updates – Keep your gateway firmware up to date and perform reliable upgrades of authorized (signed) firmware over the network.
• Role-based Access Controls – Policy-driven access control to the gateway and device capabilities.
• Fine-Grained Service Controls – Reduce the threat vectors on your device by having complete control over the network service ports that are not in use.

Combine these necessary security requirements with monitoring of critical vulnerabilities, ongoing support and updates, and now you have a networked system with the connectivity, remote manageability and protection you need.

The XPort EDGE provides the comprehensive security framework in the only intelligent, secure and managed embedded ethernet gateway in a compact RJ45 form factor for the Industrial Internet. Check out the XPort EDGE and accelerate your path to IIoT.

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