Prevas strengthens hardware cybersecurity

Prevas customers have greatly benefited for many years from basic platforms with hardware based on NXP i.MX6 with associated custom Linux. This by developing new specific platforms solely with the focus on changes to existing ones, thoroughly tested using Prevas models. In 2020, i.MX8 has more or less replaced the older i.MX6 in all new development.

"We currently have different basic versions of i.MX8 with associated Prevas Industrial Linux," says Mads Doré Hansen product manager for Prevas in Denmark. "These are thoroughly tested and have been optimized through several different projects. By using one of these basic versions of the iMX8, you can quickly and easily start a demo project while developing the project-specific hardware customizations. This helps our customers to get started very quickly. Projects also take much less time as applications can be developed in parallel with hardware development."

With the entire basic platform, including Linux, in place with solid industrial quality, a project can be focused on what adds extra value. That is, the product you want the project to result in. To get exactly the hardware and Linux needed in a project, all that needs to be done is, for example, adding PROFINET support and some company-specific I/Os, followed by fine-tuning certain security parameters. In this way, enterprises can get their very own platform in a fairly short time.

"Industrial products should last a long time. This is why we offer fixed prices for service after development is completed," says Mads Doré Hansen. "This applies both to hardware and software, as well as to a high degree of custom solutions. It's a slightly different way of creating partnerships with our customers. It provides both rapid development and the opportunity for service, while the customer is completely free to continue working with the material on their own."

With the electronics industry's intense focus on cybersecurity, basic platforms that can be tailored are one of the fastest and least risky ways of making new products secure. This without having to reinvent a lot of previously developed components.