Covisint Aims to be the Go-To Source for IoT Identity-Centric Security

This summer a report that two hackers were able to remotely wrest control of a Jeep Cherokee from its driver captured headlines and raised alarms about the lack of security relative to the Internet of Things. Last night at IoT Evolution Expo, John Gleeson explained how Covisint can better secure the IoT by acting as a central authority for access to such devices and solutions.

Covisint has been around for well more than a decade, and was formed by a consortium involving Chrysler, Ford, GM, Nissan, Peugeot and Renault. Today the company serves customers from not just the automotive space, but also from various other verticals including oil and gas, and travel—and it has more than 3,000 global customers.

The company, Gleeson said, wants to become the platform of choice for IoT and identity-centric solutions.

Its solution ensures security by making sure only those with authority to access certain endpoints and other IoT resources are able to get it. That’s important considering the growing ecosystem of players involved in things like connected cars. For example, in the case of a car, that ecosystem could include the vehicle brand, the dealers, maintenance organizations, parts suppliers, etc. Covisint, he added, also limits information exposure in these interactions, so the requesting party only has access to the specific resource that relates to their involvement.

Gleeson also talked about how a motorist that has owned a car for a while has probably gotten the car’s settings related to the seat position, climate control, the sound system, and the like, to how he or she wants them. So when it’s time to get a new car, he said, the motorist can now take those setting with him or her. This discussion had to do not just with securing a car, but adding to its value proposition, and Gleeson seemed to indicate this kind of thing could allow for more product stickiness.