Ericsson Cloud Connect simplifies connecting cellular IoT devices to AWS

Ericsson says it has constructed a simpler way to connect to secure Amazon Web Services (AWS) servers through Cloud Connect, an integrated component of its IoT (internet of things) Accelerator.

Businesses that use the IoT Accelerator typically manage cellular devices such as sensors, meters or tracking devices and now have a much simpler way to connect to the already secure AWS server through Cloud Connect, which moves complex encryption from the device to the edge of the cellular network.

Ericsson said the technology means that devices with unencrypted, yet privately secured communications over a cellular network using message queuing telemetry transport or narrowband user data protocols – such as constrained application protocol – can connect seamlessly to the AWS IoT Core, resulting in significantly lower power and data consumption.

Initial results showed that IoT Cloud Connect enables low-powered devices to reduce mobile data by up to 95% and extend battery life by up to 50% by removing the need to run public end-to-end internet encryption, it said.

Connecting to AWS IoT Core requires each connected device to use transport layer security encryption for all communications. With Cloud Connect, the IoT Accelerator service is designed to offer a plug-and-play alternative. In this, said Ericsson, enterprises can benefit from simple activation of devices that tunnel to the edge of the cellular infrastructure before automatically self-provisioning to AWS and securely connecting via Cloud Connect-generated encryption and keys.

With more than 35 global communication service providers already on IoT Accelerator, Ericsson said it is confident that enterprises of any size can manage the connectivity of their devices worldwide, and it is now even easier to connect to AWS IoT Core.

Jan Willem Smeenk, chief architect at SODAQ, a solar-powered asset tracking company that specialises in scalable and efficient IoT hardware and software to empower businesses, said: “It is costly and complicated to connect our smart asset trackers securely, but with Ericsson as a key partner, we were able to order SIM cards from the operator on IoT Accelerator, insert them into our device with no additional encryption or certificate management required.

“Then, using Ericsson’s IoT Accelerator Cloud Connect, the device is authorised and automatically provisioned to the target AWS destination. It was simple and can serve our customers of any scale and size.”

Rauno Jokelainen, chief technology officer at UROS Group, a provider of digital water services, added: “We see high value with the use of Cloud Connect in the UROS sense liquid quality-as-a-service solution to provide real-time water quality detection to the municipalities and enterprises around the world in an easily deployable manner. With this, we can bring peace of mind to the CIOs of the municipalities that their water networks are monitored in a secure manner.”