3E Technologies International, Safe and sound

Manufacturing in Action, Source : The Manufacturer US

3e Technologies International was the first company to ensure Wi-Fi security, and is on the verge of making Bluetooth secure as well, Gary Toushek discovers

The biggest problem facing manufacturers and users of wireless communication devices has been the issue of security. Typically, intrusive hackers may engage in activities from listening in on conversations to manipulating a user’s wireless devices. Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) and Bluetooth are each a set of compatibility standards for wireless devices, and the challenge for software developers has been to solve the security dilemma. Rockville, MD-based 3e Technologies International (3eTI) has already provided a solution for Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi is used for mobile devices and LANs, Internet and wireless VoIP phone access; it enables a person with a wireless-enabled computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a wireless VoIP phone to connect to the Internet when in proximity of an access point or “hotspot.”

The Bluetooth system was installed in nearly 95 million headsets, cell phones, portable computers, and other devices sold globally in 2004, and the number in these kinds of products is expected to more than double in 2005, according to industry watchers.

3eTI is a leading provider of wireless networking infrastructures and applications, founded in 1995 by Steven Chen, president and CEO, who currently chairs the IEEE P1451.5 Study Group for Wireless Smart Transducer Network. 3eTI’s founding intention was to deliver always-connected, gateway, monitoring and networking solutions for mobile users; at the moment the focus is on delivering a certified, secure Bluetooth system.

3eTI’s first major customer was the US Navy; the assignment was a monitoring project for a wireless sensor network in multiple ship classes, and this wireless networking attracted the attention of the Department of Defense (DoD), which asked 3eTI to work on making the system secure. Chen invested the next four years in making Wi-Fi, the WLAN infrastructure on these ships, secure to FIPS 140-2 validation, and the customer was satisfied. Today they’re developing secure Wi-Fi solutions with a mesh network, RFID, and sensor applications.

At the same time, Bluetooth has not been able to pass the federal government’s certification for security, so 3eTI is also under contract with the Navy to develop a Bluetooth implementation secure enough to pass FIPS 140-2 validation. The company’s partner in this venture is CSR, a Bluetooth chipset company in the UK, in its class one of the best in the world.

Because of its quickly-spreading reputation of making wireless technology secure, 3eTI is being contacted by companies anxious to have other wireless standards made secure. For example, Intel asked the company to make its Centrino mobile technology secure enough to pass FIPS 140-2 validation; the mission was accomplished, and Intel became a minority shareholder in 3eTI, providing access to its advanced technology and providing co-marketing support.

“Bluetooth being un-secure slowed its acceptance for enterprise users and government in security-sensitive applications,” says Chen. “But we’re confident in having a good implementation working with CSR and we’re going to license our technology to them.” The next step will be to approach Bluetooth Six, a special interest group, and try to incorporate the resulting enhanced security into the Bluetooth standard. “We envision that all wireless applications can potentially use the same encryption method, and security implementation of the framework over multiple wireless standards. And being an Intel capitalized portfolio company, with their focus on Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and WiMedia integration, we think we’re on the right track.”

The manufacturing community is looking at wireless technology to solve some problems using RFID (radio-frequency identification), instrumenting sensors, programmable logic controllers in robotics, and so on, according to Vice President of Marketing John Jacobs. “Security is the biggest concern holding it all back,” says Jacobs. “There are current wireless systems with propriety aspects that promise to deliver, but the industry would rather follow a more universal standard like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. So from a manufacturing perspective, we’re doing three things: using Wi-Fi as a secure network backhaul to tie into corporate infrastructure, SAP systems, etc., it comes out as Ethernet, which gets into anybody’s system; secure wireless backhaul and RFID system integration; secure Bluetooth at the process control level.”

3eTI is working on a number of applications for RFID, doing government-level security backhaul behind RFID readings. DoD organizations adopting RFID to track shipments are concerned about the backhaul of data, using wireless systems gives them flexibility in building backend infrastructure. 3eTI’s secure wireless backbones are currently available, in mesh, bridge, and client access; RFID systems are integrated. “Companies are using our system with RFID today, plus we’re rolling out new products to address these markets, all with security,” says Jacobs.

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