Avnet Advances IoT Security with Microsoft Azure Sphere Developer Resources

Security has become the biggest challenge for IoT development, with 8 out of 10 developers identifying it as their biggest hurdle. To help developers create highly secure, end-to-end IoT solutions, leading global technology solutions provider Avnet (Nasdaq: AVT) is giving away 20,000 free Azure Sphere starter kits. Additionally, developers will have access to a series of resources including webinars, lectures, road tests and design contests hosted by Avnet -- as part of Avnet’s ongoing relationship with Microsoft’s Azure Sphere Ecosystem.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190717005577/en/

Avnet announced that it is giving away 20,000 free Azure Sphere starter kits to help developers create highly secure, end-to-end IoT solutions. To learn more and request a kit, visit: https://secureeverything.avnet.com/. (Photo: Business Wire)

Developed by Avnet and announced earlier this year, the Avnet Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit is the fastest and easiest way to equip IoT endpoint devices to be highly secure. The starter kit leverages the Avnet-developed Azure Sphere module that is based on Microsoft’s secure Azure Sphere operating system (OS) and Azure Sphere Security Service hosted on a MediaTek MT3620 secure MCU. The kits will be offered through Avnet’s Hackster.io and element14 communities with kits and contest submissions open until September 30, 2019. For more information on contest rules and design resources, visit Secure Everything.

Additionally, developers will be able to put their skills to the test in two different design challenges based on the Azure Sphere starter kit, with the opportunity to win a range of prizes totaling more than $70,000.

• ‘Sensing the World’ – Participants are challenged to develop an IoT device that demonstrates the vast potential of Azure Sphere. Participants can utilize their choice of peripherals, complementing the on-board connectivity, sensors and expansion possibilities, as well as choose their own application. Submitted projects will be judged on ingenuity and how well they achieve their stated purpose.
• ‘Secure Everything Challenge’ – Focusing on the increasing need for security, participants are challenged to create a highly-secured, connected MCU-powered device using Azure Sphere. Projects should satisfy one of a number of defined themes including building and home automation, smart retail and energy and renewables solutions.

“The rapid expansion of IoT has brought forward a new set of security challenges for developers, putting even more projects at risk of getting lost in ‘proof of concept purgatory,’” said Lou Lutostanski, vice president of Internet of Things, Avnet. “By working with Microsoft, we’ve combined the superior security benefits of Azure Sphere with Avnet’s hardware and software capabilities. As a result, we’re delivering secure IoT support that designers need to take their concepts from the back of a napkin all the way to production, faster than before.”