German embedded computer company Kontron has developed the Linux-based SecureOS operating system that provides security and data protection for IoT products in critical areas.

Data security is crucial for Kontron’s customers and SecureOS safeguards IoT products against remote control by intruders and hackers or surveillance by third parties.

Kontron is broadening its products mix and has started marketing the SecureOS software to protect against remote interference in infrastructure projects. It safeguards IoT deployments against new threats from the internet and hostile infrastructure attacks. It can be combined with most of Kontron’s products and expands the Susietec toolset family. This should not only significantly increase security standards but also cut down opex by at least 15%.

As a first customer, a global supplier with an international service network for industrial and municipal plant operators will soon introduce SecureOS. This includes next to SecureOS further Susietec toolset functionalities and will support the critical water as well as wastewater infrastructure of millions of people in central Europe.

In this case, SecureOS provides detailed insights into the operating status of the pumps and guarantees continuous monitoring during operation while safeguarding against intruders and surveillance from third parties. Smart additional functions such as automated emergency shutdowns prevent pumps from being damaged or destroyed.

For Kontron, an IoT provider listed on the TecDax and SDaxof the German Stock Exchange, expanding the product mix with security software will be another driver of margin expansion in the coming years. Secure OS and Susietec, together with Kontron’s transportation business, comprise the firm’s fast-growing business segment. It amounts to below 20% of Kontron’s revenues but will turn into the biggest segment by 2025 and will have a revenue share of more than 50% by 2027.

SecureOS will further expand the Susietec toolset family, which now consists of ten specialised software and nine hardware products paired with years of expertise. It is ranging from EquipmentCloud, which turns factories smart using predictive maintenance and machine learning to SecureOS (www.susietec.com/en/use-cases/2022-04/recording-operation-secureos), which guarantees that embedded hardware devices in the field are secure and up to date. All products communicate seamlessly with each other, and users can add as many products as needed and as little as they want.

For more than 20 years, Kontron (www.kontron.com) has been supporting companies from a wide range of industries. It has around 4500 employees with subsidiaries in more than 20 countries around the world.