While 2020 brought many challenges as well as a significant shift in work-life circumstances, OCF’s members remained dedicated to the OCF mission. In a collaborative effort amongst key industry leaders, OCF made significant progress in OCF technology development, cybersecurity and smart building initiatives. Below we have shared a few exciting highlights from OCF’s 2020 efforts:
OCF IoT Breakthrough Event
To start the year, OCF hosted its IoT Breakthrough Event during the Consumer Technology Association (CES) event in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the event, attendees got a first-ever look into products from OCF member companies BSC Computer GmbH, COMMAX, SURE Universal, Haier, LG, Resideo and Samsung. These companies demonstrated 20+ products in live smart kitchen and living room scenarios, using the OCF Universal Cloud Interface (UCI) to provide secure, seamless interoperability among these devices. We invite you to watch these demonstrations on the OCF YouTube channel to see OCF technology in action.
Continued Cybersecurity Efforts
OCF continued its ongoing IoT security efforts through the collaboration with cybersecurity organizations National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Council to Secure the Digital Economy (CSDE) and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). OCF worked with the CSDE, CTA and other likeminded organizations on the C2 document, which outlines IoT device security baselines. OCF was happy to contribute its technical materials, along with its advice, support and recommendations.
In addition to the C2 document, OCF engaged with NIST on NISTIR 8259, providing comments to express support and feedback on NIST’s recommendations for IoT device manufacturers. Finally, to further communicate OCF’s dedication to cybersecurity, the OCF Security Oversight Work Group outlined the features in the OCF specification that map to five key IoT security baseline capabilities. Readers can now review the required baselines OCF technology fulfills on the OCF security page.
OCF Expands its Commercial Building Focus with the Smart Commercial Building Project and IP-BLiS
This year, OCF formed the Smart Commercial Buildings Project, which is dedicated to connecting building automation devices on managed networks. One of the project’s first initiatives helped define how the OCF core framework can be used to transport BACnet models. For more information on OCF and BACnet, read the OCF white papers.
In May 2020, OCF, along with BACnet International, KNX Association, The Thread Group and Zigbee Alliance, announced the IP-BLiS (IP – Building & Lighting Standards) liaison to promote the use of secure, multi-standard IP-based IoT solutions for commercial buildings. In December, IP-BLiS welcomed DALI to its liaison, offering lighting control expertise to address the connectivity roadblocks in smart buildings. To learn more about IP-BLiS, watch the IP-BLiS webinar and read the IP-BLiS FAQ.
Completion of OCF Specification 2.2.0 and 2.2.1
OCF released two significant versions of its specification this year, improving its capabilities with the OCF Universal Cloud Interface (UCI), end-to-end encryption and more.
In July 2020, OCF finalized the OCF Universal Cloud Interface (UCI), which was released in the OCF 2.2.0 specification. This release marked the industry’s first solution to unify the IoT ecosystem through Cloud-to-Cloud connectivity, simplifying vendor collaboration and reducing the complexities of developing proprietary cloud APIs. To learn more about the OCF UCI, we encourage you to read the OCF UCI white paper.
In December 2020, OCF released the OCF 2.2.1 specification, which added support for end-to-end encryption, increasing user confidence that the data sent through their OCF devices is protected and private. This specification release is a major milestone, as OCF is now the first to offer end-to-end encryption for Device-to-Device, Device-to-Cloud and Cloud-to-Cloud communications.
To learn more about the new features in the OCF 2.2.1 specification, read the OCF blog.
OCF UCI Certification Program Launch, plgd Open-Source Implementation and First OCF UCI Certified Devices
To accompany the OCF 2.2.0 specification release, OCF announced the OCF UCI Certification Program, which ensures interoperability between devices on different clouds by testing the proper implementation of the OCF UCI cloud API. Following the certification program launch, OCF members Samsung and Haier certified the first OCF UCI platforms, allowing their cloud platforms to securely communicate with one another, as well as future OCF UCI certified devices. This achievement brings the IoT one step closer to embracing a fully open, interoperable ecosystem.
To support OCF UCI implementation, OCF developed the plgd open-source reference implementation, which supports both Client-side Cloud and Device-side Cloud usage scenarios, as well as Device-to-Cloud connectivity. Product designers can access the plgd open-source solution on GitHub to begin their UCI development today.
Educational Webinar Events
To close out the year, OCF partnered with analyst firms Futuresource Consulting and ABI Research for two educational webinar events focused on the smart home and commercial buildings. “The Future of Connected Buildings” webinar featured experts from ABI Research, Cascoda and MBS GmbH. Attendees were provided with a snapshot of the commercial buildings market and the future of smart building technologies.
In “Smart Homes and the New Normal,” speakers from Futuresource and OCF member companies Cascoda and TATA Elxsi shared smart home market insights, including how COVID-19 has impacted smart security, monitoring and lighting, and how OCF can be utilized in the smart home. If you missed the live events, OCF encourages you download the presentation slides and watch the webinar recordings.
Thank You to Our Members
OCF thanks its members for helping make the above achievements possible. OCF’s passionate and talented work group participants are the backbone of OCF technology development and are crucial to the IoT’s success. In 2021, OCF will continue to expand its efforts and support the IoT community in working together as a united front.