Using dedicated hardware to store passwords, certificates, and keys is a good option, but it's expensive. A compromise solution is needed.


The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) provides efficient, flexible, and critical control capabilities for operations (OT) and information (IT), providing the complete connectivity necessary for everyday facility operation. While integration is at the heart of this efficiency gain, IIoT applications are evolving from "trusted" IoT systems to "secure" IoT systems.

A secure IoT solution consists of numerous individual components, including hardware, software, and even IoT cloud services. Choosing the right hardware can reduce the bill of materials (BOM) and lower component costs. A suitable secure infrastructure remains cost-effective over time and provides the scalability required for growth.

Today's enterprise procurement leaders must consider a variety of factors to develop appropriate procurement strategies to optimize the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the overall solution.

IoT devices are limited not only by memory capacity but also by the number and size of components. To transition from a trusted IIoT system to a secure IIoT system, the integrity of data at rest (DAR), i.e. data stored on devices, must be protected by design.

Using a chip like a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) to securely store keys used to authenticate the platform is certainly a sound solution. However, using dedicated hardware to store passwords, certificates, and keys incurs significant costs, necessitating consideration of a compromise solution.

◇ u-blox LTE-M modules support 5G, simplifying security design.

Optimizing the TCO of a complete IoT solution means keeping data secure while minimizing the device bill of materials. The u-blox SARA-R5 LTE-M module features IoT Security-as-a-Service (IoT SaaS), enabling protection of sensitive information on devices without the need for specialized security chips.

The u-blox "Design Security" package allows for secure storage of sensitive information even in non-secure locations, such as standard memory. Furthermore, chip-to-chip security safeguards communication between the device's MCU and cellular module, protecting the device from external attacks such as bus sniffing and data injection. These benefits enable simplified device design, data protection, and cost reduction.

The SARA-R5 module is based on the u-blox UBX-R5 cellular chipset and the u-blox M8 GNSS receiver chip, and has been designed with security in mind from the ground up. Each module has an immutable, unique root of trust (RoT) identity, which forms the foundation for a trusted set of advanced security features for u-blox IoT SaaS implementations.

It also supports 5G, so you can respond to 5G services with just a software upgrade.

u-blox has developed all of the SARA-R5 module's features using its own technology. It also owns all hardware and software related to the module and the Thingstream IoT service delivery platform. This ensures long-term device availability and support for the entire platform's lifecycle, from semiconductors to the cloud.

Meanwhile, the u-blox SARA-R5 LTE-M module, which supports IoT SaaS, won the 'CES 2021 Innovation Awards Honoree' hosted by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).


This article is a summary of the article titled “Smart sourcing of IoT solutions can optimize total cost of ownership” by Samuele Falcomer, Cellular Product Manager at u-blox Italia.