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:
A Year in Review: OCF Enables Vendor Cloud Interoperability and Strengthens IoT Security
OCF First to Offer End-to-End Encryption for Device-to-Device, Device-to-Cloud and Cloud-to-Cloud Communications
As the leading IoT standards body, Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) continues to address the needs of the IoT, providing industry-leading connectivity and best-in-class security.
To continue building upon OCF’s security framework, the recently completed OCF 2.2.1 specification now includes new support for end-to-end encryption leveraging open (IETF) standards. This encryption works to prevent third parties from accessing data while it’s transferred from one end system or device to another. With this update, IoT device users can be confident that the data sent through their OCF devices is protected and private.
OCF Offers New Educational Resources
OCF Offers New Educational Resources
With an increasing number of people confined to their homes, the year 2020 has shed light on the utmost importance of simple, secure IoT technology. This year, OCF has made numerous updates to its specifications, with a common goal to make IoT manufacturers’ product development both cost-effective and uncomplicated, and the end-user’s experience seamless and secure.
These updates include the release of the OCF Universal Cloud Interface (UCI), IoT security baseline mapping and the new Simple Secure Multicast (SSM) feature. To help OCF members and the industry better understand these technological advancements, OCF experts have developed educational white papers on each topic. These white papers offer deep dives and unique insights into how and why these advancements have been made. Below we provide an overview of the new topical white papers now available for download:
First Certified OCF Universal Cloud Interface (UCI) Platforms Offer Promising look into Future of IoT Connectivity
OCF is proud to announce that one of the first OCF Universal Cloud Interface (UCI) platforms has been certified through the OCF Cloud-to-Cloud (C2C) Certification Program.
This announcement comes after the recently released OCF 2.2.0 specification, first announced in July, which included the OCF UCI and newly available C2C Certification program. One month following this announcement, OCF member company Haier Group certified its Haier Cloud. Leveraging the OCF UCI, the Haier Cloud can now communicate with other OCF UCI-Certified clouds, regardless of vendor. By achieving this significant milestone, Haier hopes to enhance its end user experienced by providing exceptional smart home services with ease of use.
Register for the Upcoming OCF Webinar: Smart Homes and the New Normal
OCF invites you to the “Smart Homes and the New Normal” webinar event on October 21 at 8:00AM PT. The webinar will cover smart home market insights in a COVID-19 world and how the OCF Core Framework and IoTivity open source solution provide the necessary security and interoperability capabilities for today’s smart home implementations.
According to Statista, consumer electronics will account for 63% of all installed IoT units in 2020. As millions of people are now confined to their living spaces, the use of smart home devices and appliances has dramatically increased, with individuals engaging in remote learning, work and digital entertainment. Security remains a top concern, as a UK University of Warwick study found that consumers are not convinced they can trust the privacy and security of these technologies. To alleviate these concerns, businesses and policy makers must show proof of cybersecurity measures to increase customer trust. In addition, with the expansion of work-from-home environments, businesses are now at risk with vulnerable employee devices in which little effort has been made to protect them at both the hardware and software level.
