Utimaco, a Germany-based provider of cyber-security and compliance products, has joined the largest community of qualified IoT users – the IoT M2M Council (IMC) – to spread awareness of new defences against IoT intrusions.

Utimaco provides software and hardware that can, when combined, protect data and transactions between connected devices and networks. For its part, the IMC is a community of 25,000 enterprise users and product makers that deploy IoT products and services across 27 different vertical markets of application and across the globe.

Extensive surveying by the IMC over the past two years shows that less than half of IoT adopters are developing IoT systems with security in mind.

“Utimaco’s hardware security modules (HSMs), key management and PKI provide the root of trust for industries and governments worldwide,” said Nils Gerhardt, CTO of Utimaco, who will represent the company on the IMC board of governors. “By joining the IMC, Utimaco aims to help the IoT industry to find the right solution to protect assets and data.”

The IMC regularly surveys its membership for IoT buying trends and, when asked about IoT security requirements, well under 60% of those surveyed had considered other crucial issues such as device ID management, end-user privacy and physical security. IMC trending analysis has shown that awareness of IoT security issues has ticked upwards, but still lags other issues listed as obstacles to making IoT investments, such as a lack of standards or business models.

“It’s clear that there’s an accelerating need for education about IoT security,” said Kim Bybjerg, vice president at Tata Communications and the IMC board chair. “We welcome Utimaco among a growing number of IMC board companies that are providing innovations. We look to them to help us spread the word about the importance of protecting networks and connected devices.”

The IMC is the largest trade group dedicated to the global IoT sector, with more than 25,000 IoT enterprise users, product makers, designers and apps developers that buy IoT products and services as members. Board companies include Aeris, AVSystem, BeamLive, BICS, Blues Wireless, Digi International, FloLive, Gurtam, iBasis, Ignion, Incognito Software Systems, IoT Launch, Keyfactor, KORE, Losant, Microsoft Azure IoT, MultiTech, Airgain company NimbeLink, Novotech, Arm subsidiary Pelion, Pod Group, Quectel, Software AG, Somos, Taoglas, Tata Communications, Telit, Utimaco and Vodafone.