Cellular-to-cloud dev kits connect seamlessly to Azure Cloud Services

Renesas Electronics Corporation has announced that its cellular-to-cloud development kits powered by Renesas' 32-bit MCUs now fully support Microsoft's Azure cloud services. The two Cloud Kits – the CK-RA6M5 and CK-RX65N – allow users to connect and manage wireless IoT devices via the cloud easily. With these latest updates, IoT device developers can now take advantage of the unique features and services offered through Azure, an open and flexible cloud computing platform that billions of devices worldwide use.

The cloud development kits include the company's LTE CAT-M1 module, which wirelessly connects MCUs to cloud services without a gateway. The kits are supplied with Microsoft's new Embedded Wireless Framework, delivering a simplified link to the Azure cloud platform. The Embedded Wireless Framework allows any network adapter securely connect to the cloud, supplying greater flexibility and better lifecycle management of cloud-based products. Asset tracking, building automation, medical data management, voice command and industrial control are some of the embedded applications that can benefit from the kits.

To provide reliable functionality and interoperability, CK-RA6M5 and CK-RX65N kits have been certified by Microsoft Azure. This signifies that the devices are validated to connect with Azure IoT Hub and may be securely provisioned via the Device Provisioning Service. Also, the devices are IoT Plug and Play-certified, allowing developers to incorporate the devices into their solutions employing pre-defined device models. This removes the necessity to configure hardware manually.

The kits comprise a high-performance MCU, the RYZ014A Cat-M1 Pmod, six on-board sensors, and extensive peripherals, including a USB FS connector, USB-to-UART serial converter, two Pmod connectors, and a battery connector. For extra layers of security, the company collaborated with its partner, Crypto Quantique, to implement a software-based IoT cryptography platform that securely connects IoT devices to server-hosted applications on-premises or in the cloud. Hardware-based security, such as the Renesas Secure Crypto Engine 9 and Trusted Secure IP driver, has been incorporated on the RA6M5 and RX65N MCUs, respectively.

"The opportunities that the Azure cloud platform brings to IoT developers are limitless," said Roger Wendelken, senior vice president and head of MCU Business, IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit at Renesas. "Our Azure-enabled Cloud Kits provide engineers with a powerful development environment to create, evaluate and deploy cloud-based IoT solutions with confidence. With real-time data analytics and easy integration with other Azure services, developers can focus on building best-in-class IoT applications."

"Bringing the Renesas Cloud Kits into the Azure cloud ecosystem is a natural step forward," said Stefan Wick, product lead IoT Edge and RTOS at Microsoft Azure. "By customizing the Embedded Wireless Framework for Renesas' MCUs, engineers can reuse application code across different IoT products and leverage a flexible abstraction interface for seamlessly connecting IoT systems to the Azure cloud services. Using the pre-configured development platform, system developers can leverage the power of Azure IoT and create reliable and scalable IoT solutions while saving time and cost for development."

"We are proud to have been involved in the implementation of enhanced security measures for the Renesas Cloud Kits, as well as providing seamless and speedy connectivity to the Azure cloud," said Chris Jones, director of Applications at Crypto Quantique. "Our QuarkLink IoT platform provides industry-leading security, giving customers peace of mind knowing that their data and devices are secure."