Cellular Wireless Encryption: End-to-End
As the proliferation of connected devices accelerates a wide range of business rules are being rewritten. The ability for carriers to deliver data from one point to another, without physical infrastructure will surely lead to new definitions of price points and cost expectations.
Cellular Wireless technology in the M2M space has the ability to redefine network price points while offering the same security that network user’s demand in the wireline world. This being said, consumer operators need to be mindful that measures are put in place to ensure high level security expectations are met.
The cellular wireless carrier will provide security tools for the user’s data, but does not ensure an end-to-end encrypted path from device to device. When talking method-of-last-resort, or direct, secondary network access to a firewall, router, or, switch, ensure a fully encrypted path is in place to protect network assets.
Historically the security credentials for the remote site accessed Out-of-Band is reliant upon network connected security equipment (RADIUS or TACACS+). These network designs systematically break down when a remote device is lost, due to equipment failure. It’s important that if end-to-end encryption is an observed protocol for connected devices, measures be put in place for end-to-end encryption for Out-of-Band(access).
CDI designs and builds secure edge management devices that ensure end-to-end encryption is available for M2M deployments globally. The equipment utilizes a proprietary key exchange which provides a fully encrypted path from Operations Centers to remote facilities, regardless of the condition of the network assets. CDI’s ability to authenticate the user, “at the edge” is a technology unavailable elsewhere.