NFC Forum Unveils Tag-Certification Initiative, Calls for Participation
The NFC Forum has formally unveiled an initiative to create a tag-certification program, and has called upon tag vendors and solution providers to join the organization and participate in the effort. The new program will give organizations involved in products and services that use NFC tags a means of assuring global interoperability with NFC-enabled mobile devices, as well as establishing their tags’ compliance with the NFC Forum’s technical specifications. The program applies to all tag types specified by the NFC Forum (Types 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5).
NFC tags store information accessible by NFC-enabled devices like smartphones, and can be embedded in everything from posters, magazines, audio accessories and household appliances to business cards, retail shelf talkers and other consumer products. The tags support a range of applications, including mobile marketing, public transport ticketing and access, authentication of luxury goods, and connecting objects to the Internet of Things. The use of NFC tags makes it easy to connect speakers and wireless headphones to mobile phones, deliver visitor information at museums, and protect consumers from purchasing counterfeit goods, among other uses.
According to ABI Research, 36.4 billion devices will be connected to the Internet by 2020. The market for NFC tags is expected to grow at a significant CAGR, as the technology is key to transforming the consumer connectivity experience.
The NFC Forum has established the Tag Certification Program’s organizational structure, work scope and goals, and is now welcoming organizations in the tag industry to join the Forum and contribute to the program. “If you make or use tags or accessories with NFC tags, now is the time to join the Forum and help ensure that all NFC tag technologies deliver a consistent, global connectivity experience across all applications and environments,” said Koichi Tagawa, the NFC Forum’s chairman, in a prepared statement. “Innovative tag applications are growing as NFC experiences increased market adoption across the majority of mobile device OEMs and operating systems.”
The new compliance initiative is being spearheaded by the NFC Forum’s Internet of Things Special Interest Group (SIG) and Compliance Committee, and will be part of the established NFC Forum Certification Program. NFC Forum members facilitate the development and market availability of products that comply with NFC Forum specifications through participation in the program.
The certification program provides differentiation for NFC Forum members, according to the organization, by shortening the product-adoption process, lowering adoption costs and making product implementations easier for partners to integrate. Companies that would like to join the Internet of Things SIG or Compliance Committee as contributing members can request membership information from the NFC Forum.
DHS Releases Strategic Principles for Securing Internet of Things
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a document titled “Strategic Principles for Securing the Internet of Things (IoT), Version 1.0.” These principles highlight approaches and suggested practices to fortify the security of the IoT, according to the DHS, and will equip stakeholders to make responsible and risk-based security decisions as they design, manufacture and use internet-connected devices and systems.
“The growing dependency on network-connected technologies is outpacing the means to secure them,” said Jeh Johnson, the DHS’s secretary of homeland security, in a prepared statement. “We increasingly rely on functional networks to advance life-sustaining activities, from self-driving cars to the control systems that deliver water and power to our homes. Securing the Internet of Things has become a matter of homeland security. The guidance we issued today is an important step in equipping companies with useful information so they can make informed security decisions.”
The purpose of these principles is to provide stakeholders with tools to comprehensively account for security as they develop, manufacture, implement or use network-connected devices. According to the DHS, these principles represent a first step toward motivating and framing conversations regarding positive measures for security among IoT developers, manufacturers, service providers and the users who purchase and deploy the devices, services and systems.
The principles focus on the following key areas: incorporating security at the design phase, advancing security updates and vulnerability management, building on proven security practices, prioritizing security based on potential impacts, promoting transparency across the IoT ecosystem, and connecting carefully and deliberately.
“Today is a first step,” said Robert Silvers, the DHS’s assistant secretary for cyber policy, in the prepared statement. “We have a rapidly closing window to ensure security is accounted for at the front end of the Internet of Things phenomenon. These principles will initiate longer-term collaboration between government and industry. Together, we will work to develop solutions to address the resilience of the Internet of Things so that we can continue to benefit from the remarkable innovation that is driving our increasingly connected world.”
Gooee Partners With PointGrab to Enhance Smart Lighting Platform
Gooee, which offers an operating platform designed to connect lighting manufacturers to the Internet of Things, has announced a partnership with PointGrab, a provider of an intelligent edge-analytics sensing solution. By connecting PointGrab’s CogniPoint deep-learning-based sensor into Gooee’s ecosystem, and by streaming the data to Gooee’s cloud, the partnership aims to enhance the building-automation industry through real-time intelligence and energy efficiency.
In the era of the Internet of Things, the company reports, there is opportunity to introduce a new approach to building automation that provides real-time intelligence and control. This platform, according to the two partners, aims to yield smart buildings that are efficient, save energy, optimize facility management, enhance safety and security, generate business intelligence and improve occupants’ experience.
“Alongside our IoT sensor, the PointGrab sensing platform will generate a rich dataset,” said Simon Coombes, Gooee’s CTO and cofounder, in a prepared statement, “that we expect will lead to several energy-saving opportunities and the optimization of smart buildings.”
PointGrab’s CogniPoint edge-analytics sensing solution provides occupants’ presence, count and positions in a miniature form factor. By utilizing advanced deep-learning neural networks technology, the device delivers actionable analytics for optimizing building operations, space management, energy savings and business intelligence.
“Due to the increased demand for intelligent and more efficient buildings, and following the rapid adoption of the IoT, smart sensors are essential to today’s building-automation capabilities,” said Itamar Roth, PointGrab’s chief business officer, in the prepared statement. “Integrating our technology into Gooee’s ecosystem expands our market reach and enables customers to access the complete joint solution.”
For Gooee, this represents the first integration of third-party technology into its ecosystem. In the statement, Coombes added, “We are exploring additional ways to enrich datasets that can be generated from a building environment, and have begun other integrations that will enhance both user experience and yield a rich presentation of data that can offer insights and suggestions on energy savings.”
Oracle Buys Dynamic Network Services
Oracle has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Dyn, a cloud-based Internet Performance and DNS provider that monitors, controls and optimizes Internet applications and cloud services. Dyn’s solution is powered by a global network that drives 40 billion traffic optimization decisions daily for more than 3,500 enterprise customers, including digital brands such as Netflix, Twitter, Pfizer and CNBC.
“Oracle already offers enterprise-class IaaS [Infrastructure-as-a-Service] and PaaS [Platform-as-a-Service] for companies building and running Internet applications and cloud services,” said Thomas Kurian, Oracle’s president of product development, in a prepared statement. Kyle York, Dyn’s chief strategy officer, in the statement, “Oracle cloud customers will have unique access to Internet performance information that will help them optimize infrastructure costs, maximize application and website-driven revenue, and manage risk. We are excited to join Oracle and bring even more value to our customers as part of Oracle’s cloud computing platform.”
Dyn made headlines in the Internet of Things sector last month when hackers unleashed a massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on the New Hampshire-based domain name system provider. The hackers re-purposed objects connected to the IoT to make them repetitively attack the service en masse. The highly publicized incident was the second of two large DDoS attacks that occurred in October. Both were caused by Mirai, malware designed specifically to leverage IoT devices with poorly protected passwords. In September, the same malware had been used in an attempt to take down KrebsOnSecurity.com, the website of Brian Krebs, an investigative reporter who covers cybersecurity.