Get Started with Azure Sphere Today

Azure Sphere is a secure IoT platform developed by Microsoft that brings together hardware, software, and cloud services to create a comprehensive solution for connected devices.

Azure Sphere's hardware is built around a custom-designed system-on-chip (SoC) called Pluton, which includes a secure processor, a microcontroller, and a network processor.

The Pluton chip is designed to provide a high level of security and reliability for IoT devices, making it an ideal choice for applications where security is a top priority.

To get started with Azure Sphere, you'll need to obtain a developer kit, which includes a Pluton-based development board and a companion device that can be used to connect to the Azure Sphere cloud service.

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You can connect your existing devices to the cloud with Azure Sphere certified guardian modules. This simplifies deployment and creates business value faster.

Azure Sphere certified MCU, Azure Sphere OS, and Azure Sphere Security Service work together as one solution to build products that are innately secure.

To manage your IoT Edge devices, you can give the IoT Edge device ID as the “parent” in the IoT Hub page of the previously provisioned Azure Sphere.

Over-the-air update functionality makes it easy to deliver improvements and patches to any device, keeping devices secured over the long term.

Interoperation with IoT platform services like Azure IoT Hub and IoT Central simplifies deployment and creates business value faster.

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Azure Sphere provides an end-to-end IoT security solution that protects devices from chip to cloud. This means that your device, data, and infrastructure are secured on all fronts - hardware, software, and in the cloud.

The Azure Sphere platform is designed to provide high-value security at a low cost, making it possible to safely and reliably connect low-cost devices to the internet. This is crucial as network-connected devices become increasingly common.

One of the key properties of highly secured devices is a hardware-based root of trust. This ensures that the device and its identity cannot be separated, preventing device forgery or spoofing.

Azure Sphere MCUs contain silicon counter-measures, including hardware firewalls, to prevent a security breach in one component from propagating to other components. This is achieved through dynamic compartments that limit the reach of any single error.

The Azure Sphere Security Service provides password-less authentication, update, and error reporting. This includes remote attestation, which verifies that the device booted with the correct software and version.

The Azure Sphere Security Service also provides automatic updates for the Azure Sphere OS and applications, ensuring continued operation and enabling remote servicing and update of application software.

Here are the seven properties of highly secured devices:

Azure Sphere architecture is built around a fundamentally secured computing base, allowing you to focus on your product.

The Azure Sphere hardware architecture provides a secure computing base, while the software architecture enables you to concentrate on value-added IoT and device-specific features.

Azure Sphere-certified chips and hardware support two general implementation categories: greenfield and brownfield. Greenfield implementation involves designing and building new IoT devices with an Azure Sphere-certified chip, currently produced by MediaTek.

Each Azure Sphere crossover MCU consists of multiple cores on a single die, with each core and its associated subsystem in a different trust domain. The root of trust resides in the Pluton security subsystem.

Azure Sphere MCUs include a minimum of 4MB of integrated RAM and 16MB of integrated flash memory.

The Azure Sphere OS is a custom Linux-based microcontroller operating system created by Microsoft to run on an Azure Sphere-certified chip and to connect to the Azure Sphere Security Service.

The OS provides a platform for Internet of things application development, including both high-level applications and real-time-capable applications. It's the first operating system running a Linux kernel that Microsoft has publicly released.

Microsoft-supplied elements, such as the high-level application platform, are shown in gray and are maintained by Microsoft. All software that runs on the device, including the high-level application, is signed by the Microsoft certificate authority (CA).

Application updates are delivered through the trusted Microsoft pipeline, and the compatibility of each update with the Azure Sphere device hardware is verified before installation.

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Azure Sphere's hardware architecture is designed to provide a fundamentally secured computing base for connected devices.

The Azure Sphere crossover MCU consists of multiple cores on a single die, as shown in the diagram.

Each core and its associated subsystem is in a different trust domain, with the root of trust residing in the Pluton security subsystem.

The Pluton security subsystem is the hardware-based secured root of trust for Azure Sphere, implementing a hardware-based root of trust.

It includes a security processor core, cryptographic engines, a hardware random number generator, public/private key generation, and asymmetric and symmetric encryption.

The Pluton subsystem boots various software components as part of the secured boot process and provides runtime services to other components of the device.

Resource isolation and dynamic compartments within each layer of the architecture provide added security, assuming that the layer above it may be compromised.

Azure Sphere-certified chips and hardware support two general implementation categories: greenfield and brownfield.

Azure Sphere MCUs come with a minimum of 4MB of integrated RAM. This ensures that your device has enough memory to run smoothly and efficiently.

The integrated flash memory is also a notable feature, with a minimum of 16MB available. This provides a decent amount of storage for your device's operating system, applications, and data.

The Azure Sphere OS is a custom Linux-based microcontroller operating system created by Microsoft.

This operating system is designed to run on an Azure Sphere-certified chip and connect to the Azure Sphere Security Service.

The Azure Sphere OS provides a platform for Internet of things application development, including both high-level applications and real-time-capable applications.

It's a first for Microsoft, as it's the first operating system running a Linux kernel that they've publicly released.

Azure Sphere is also the second Unix-like operating system that Microsoft has developed for external users, with the other being Xenix.

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Azure Sphere is designed to protect data while in transit, using a secure hardware base to prevent hackers from infiltrating the device. This is particularly important in scenarios where devices need to communicate with the cloud, such as in a train system where each carriage has its own control computer.

To implement a set of Azure Sphere devices, you'll need to create an IoT Hub and a Device Provisioning Service (DPS) in the Azure portal, and then upload a certificate to the "Certificates" section of the DPS. This ensures that all devices authenticated using the DPS can communicate freely with the IoT hub.

To connect and secure IoT edge devices, you'll need to configure Microsoft sources, install the Moby Engine orchestrator, and install Azure IoT Edge. This will provide an added layer of security, additional features, remote updates, easy team development, and alert handling close to the source, even when offline.

Here's a step-by-step guide to get you started:

Deploying updates and maintaining operations is a crucial aspect of any IoT project. Every Azure Sphere instance comes with more than 10 years of Microsoft security services that include managed updates.

With Azure Sphere, you can respond to emerging threats and new requirements with real-time security patches, OS updates, and improvements to your application. This ensures that your devices stay secure and up-to-date.

Azure Sphere also provides over-the-air (OTA) updates, which allow you to deploy updates directly to the IoT device alongside your application. This eliminates the need for physical access to the device, making it a convenient and efficient way to maintain operations.

The Azure Sphere Security Service (AS3) is a cloud-based service that facilitates maintenance, updates, and control for Azure Sphere-certified chips. It establishes a secure connection between devices and the internet or cloud services, ensuring secure boot and authenticating device identity.

Here are some key benefits of using Azure Sphere for deployment and maintenance:

By leveraging these features, you can ensure that your IoT devices are secure, up-to-date, and running smoothly. With Azure Sphere, you can focus on building innovative solutions without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

The intended audience for this implementation and integration process are IT professionals who are responsible for managing and integrating various software systems within an organization.

These individuals typically have a background in computer science or a related field and are familiar with programming languages such as Java and Python.

They often work in large enterprises with complex IT infrastructures and are tasked with ensuring seamless integration between different systems.

Their primary goal is to increase efficiency and reduce costs by streamlining processes and eliminating manual errors.

IT professionals who are responsible for implementing and integrating software systems must have excellent problem-solving skills and be able to communicate effectively with stakeholders.

They must also be able to analyze complex data and identify areas for improvement.

Azure Sphere is for Internet of Things (IoT) project developers and integrators who want IT security to be a key part of their product development. This means that companies working on IoT projects can use Azure Sphere to ensure their products are secure from the start.

The industries that can benefit from Azure Sphere include those focused on IoT projects, as they require robust security measures to protect against potential threats.

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The pricing calculator is a valuable tool for estimating your monthly costs on Azure. It allows you to calculate your expected costs for using any combination of Azure products.

With the pricing calculator, you can get an accurate estimate of your costs based on your specific usage patterns. This helps you plan and budget for your Azure expenses.

One of the key benefits of the pricing calculator is that it takes into account the costs of using any combination of Azure products. This means you can get a comprehensive view of your costs and make informed decisions about your Azure usage.

To use the pricing calculator, simply select the Azure products you're interested in and the calculator will do the rest. This makes it easy to get a quick and accurate estimate of your costs.