Switzerland’s largest telecom, Swisscom, is said to soon be launching an internet of things (IoT) solution using Enea’s Aptilo connectivity control service (CCS) designed for enterprises that have a smaller number of devices.
The solution allows these enterprises to connect through a virtual private network (VPN) and allow selected traffic to pass directly to the internet that will be protected by the firewall Fortinet.
According to Enea, most IoT applications come in two flavors: Either basic with only SIM management and connectivity control; or highly advanced and customizable for individual users. In the middle of these applications are applications that need security features like firewalls and getting traffic through VPN connections. However, these technologies have previously been unavailable to enterprises with smaller numbers of devices due to costs.
How it works
The Aptilo IoT CCS allows Swisscom to use a single private access point name (APN) for all its enterprise customers while delivering traffic in one or many VPNs to each customer. This allows IoT users to set up VPNs and send traffic to partners.
Normally, these private APNs take weeks to complete due to the tedious process. The Aptilo IoT CCS instead automates the delivery of the VPNs for private APNs due to customers self-service portals setting up typically online, Enea said.
Additionally, the technology will allow Swisscom to make changes easier to secure IoT connectivity. Traditionally APNs, are complex to update as each device with a new APN name must change the enterprise VPN destination. The Swisscom device will allow enterprises to gain efficiency and control by allowing these changes to be done in the cloud instead of each device, Enea said.
