What is Azure Sphere?
Azure Sphere is a new Microsoft technology to help improve security in Azure, however interestingly Microsoft have chosen to use their own Linux based solution rather than the more likely thought choice of Windows 10. Azure Sphere is a feature that connects to Micro controller units that reside within Azure machines. Microsoft have promised the Azure Sphere platform will have five times the performance of standard micro control units and is looked to have the benefits of both ARM-based Cortex-A and Cortex-M processor cores.
The new chip includes Microsoft’s Pluton security subsystem and built-in network connectivity, it also includes other features such as a real-time processor, an application processor, memory, flash and SRAM. The Azure Sphere includes a four layer platform consisting of:
- OS Layer 0 – Hardware
- OS Layer 1 – Security monitor
- OS Layer 2 – Custom Linux kernel
- OS Layer 3 – On chip connectivity services
- OS Layer 4 – App container for realtime I/O
What are the benefits of using Azure Sphere?
- Protects your devices – It helps provide a lot more security to your devices to help reduce unwanted threats to your machines.
- Guarantees a device’s authenticity – This makes sure that it uses certificate-based authentication, genuine software and automated updates.
- Provides insight – It helps users go into more depth with device and application failures whilst also allowing the users to have greater visibility into potential threats to their devices protected.
- Responds to threats – Using automated updates this helps Azure Sphere respond to the latest threats that emerge.
- Easy deployment of software updates – Allows users to deploy software to Sphere based devices a lot more efficiently and quickly.
- It is useable with other clouds – Because of Azure Sphere using Linux it is compatible with any cloud with the additional benefit of manufactures being able to use this for free.
For more clarification on Azure Sphere I have included a video below:
