Smart security solutions for smart production systems: Wibu-Systems out in force at SPS

From 14 to 16 November, booth 428 in hall 6 on Nuremberg’s expo grounds is the place to be for loyal users and newcomers to the world of CodeMeter and everyone else interested in protection and licensing solutions for their automation projects. Wibu-Systems, the security specialists from Karlsruhe, are returning to Smart Production Systems, Germany’s premier industry automation expo, with a booth packed with new technologies, innovative applications, fascinating insights, and lots of news and stories.

Wibu-Systems keeps true to its mission as its exhibit will provide an array of technologies under the hood of its CodeMeter protection, licensing, and security universe aimed at not just protecting the IP of intelligent device manufacturers but also facilitating the monetization of their software-based resources.

AxProtector Python brings the familiar encryption and protection power of CodeMeter to the Python world with the ability to encrypt Python code directly. As Python has seen a surge of interest as a favorite of AI developers, CodeMeter’s unbeaten security can perfectly fit into the machine learning lifecycle, where new threats and risks abound. Alongside IP theft, researchers are worried about ways to manipulate ML models, known as poisoning, that have the potential to severely damage businesses and services depending on AI. AxProtector Python can be the preemptive antidote against this type of threat.

AxProtector Python is also a promising choice for businesses working with NVIDIA Jetson-series and other GPUs that are used to upscale the computing capabilities of embedded systems used in many applications of immediate relevance for industry: robotics, drones, edge computing, or at-the-edge AI and ML as well as the medical field, surveillance and security, and even digital signage. AxProtector Python File Encryption has been designed to work perfectly with NVIDIA.

Another important quality of the CodeMeter technology is its ability to bring secure licensing to the containerized environments favored by many enterprise users. With Docker and Podman containers being particularly attractive in the embedded field for their easy handling, concerns about IP theft and license enforcement cannot be ignored. CodeMeter now has the ability to add the secure anchors needed to ensure reliable licensing in the form of hardware CmDongles, CmCloudContainer license servers in local networks or in the cloud, and CmActLicense software containers to give the architects of container environments real freedom of choice.

The support for Docker is one of the key reasons why CodeMeter was selected by Hilscher for the integration with the Flagship Store for the OI4 Community. The collaboration with the Open Industry 4.0 (OI4) Alliance and its members has produced a concept for an open, standardized, and secure marketplace for industrial apps that combines tried and tested IP protection and licensing capabilities of Wibu-Systems’ CodeMeter to offer automation apps for download in a secure and trustworthy environment. With payment methods and all the legal underpinnings in place, app developers and users can meet in the Flagship Store for the OI4 Community without worrying about the security of the IP invested in the apps they are selling or the trustworthiness of the apps they are buying.

CmReady tops off the gamut of Wibu-Systems’ novel technologies. Bringing CodeMeter security to certified third-party mass storage devices, CmReady combines the simplicity of CmActLicense software license containers with the portability of a hardware medium. Launched in Swissbit’s Data Protection cards in SD & microSD form factors, CmReady is a perfect choice for machine manufacturers who want ease of use without compromising security or portability.

For Stefan Bamberg, Wibu-Systems’ Director Sales and Key Account Management, coming to SPS in Nuremberg feels like home: “SPS and Wibu-Systems not only share more than three decades of history, we also have that shared spirit of optimism: With some innovative thinking, professionalism, and the necessary care, we can create technologies like CmReady or the Flagship Store for the OI4 Community that will make our industry smarter, safer, and more productive.”