Security is often one of the main barriers to adoption for just about every new technology that emerges, and it’s no different in the Internet of Things, where a recent survey described the situation as “complex and chaotic.”

Semiconductor firm Micron Technology Inc. wants to change that with a unique approach that involves securing the hardware that makes up the IoT. To do so, it has teamed up with Microsoft Corp. to offer a new solution that integrates a “root of trust” into IoT hardware. The solution is called Micron Authenta, and it integrates into Micron’s flash memory products built inside devices and sensors to establish trusted links between devices and Microsoft’s Azure IoT Cloud.

More specifically, the solution relies on Microsoft’s Device Identify Composition Engine to verify the identity of each device via its flash hardware before it connects to the cloud. Micron’s Authenta solution integrates roots of trust into flash because this is used to store the initial startup code for each device, meaning security checks are made before the device is up and running. This approach allows IoT developers to harden security without adding any extra hardware components to their devices, Micron said.

“This capability will speed up adoption of the latest IoT concepts by enabling customers to broaden their IoT connectivity while decreasing the investment of implementation,” said Sam George, director of Azure IoT cloud services.

To implement this verification process, Micron and Microsoft also announced the release of software development kits that provide secure cloud management and connectivity capabilities for IoT devices and platforms. The SDKs can also be used to retrofit older devices and sensors, the companies said. As such, the new solution could potentially be used to secure “billions” of IoT devices, they claimed.

Amit Gattani, senior director of segment marketing for Micron’s embedded business, said this root of trust is essential to securing IoT devices operating in the cloud. He added that the best way to do so was at the hardware level, as this allows IoT deployments to scale to any size.

“A secure Internet of Things requires always-on trust between billions of end-points and cloud management services,” Gattani said. “Anchors of this trust must be rooted in hardware and be scalable to even the smallest embedded devices.”

Micron said its new Authenta Technology will be available to users of Microsoft’s Device Identify Composition Engine and Azure Services “soon” without mentioning a specific date. Most likely, it won’t be released until after the May 10-12 Microsoft Build event in Seattle, Washington, where Microsoft will showcase the technology to developers.

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