Secure Everything with Azure Sphere

The challenge

In the era of IoT, life is increasingly more integrated with technology. The ability for everyday consumer gadgets, industrial machines, vehicles, and household appliances to interface with each other through embedded internet connectivity has made life easier and more efficient.

Microsoft has developed Azure Sphere to make sure that innovative gadgets can continue to disrupt the status quo and improve our lives without sacrificing our security. The Azure Sphere operating system is the solution for developing highly secure microcontrollers (MCU) devices compatible with IoT implementations.

We're calling on all engineers and developers around the globe to create highly secured, MCU-powered projects using the Azure Sphere, designing creative ways to secure what needs it most - everything!

Create a new project around the concept of security or simply enhance your existing projects' security using your new Azure Sphere kit and tell us what you learned during the experience.

Security is exceedingly important, but consistency in secure environments is what keeps us online. Show us your Azure Sphere Kit can stay online for 30 consecutive days and you’ll be eligible to win our best prizes.

Securing your data is important across a slew of industries. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Integrate Azure Sphere into a new or existing IoT edge devices
• Secure your consumer electronics projects
• Show us your innovation around safe, smart retail
• Build robust and secure solutions for buildings and home automation
• Design secure factory solutions
• Create better energy and renewables solutions

The best part? Avnet is giving away up to 20,000 free Azure Sphere Kits for you to get started!

Register for your free kit on our sister community, element14. You will need to pay the cost of shipping and any taxes or customs duties for your country.

Learn more about which regions are able to receive kits. If your country isn't on the list, check in frequently as we expand our reach! All regions are eligible, regardless of how you get your kits.

Once you have your kit in hand, connect it and register it by downloading the Contest Registration app to sync daily with contest server. Please review registration instructions and get the link for the app download here. Further details can be found in the official rules.

Four Easy Steps to Ping the Server:

1. Get your free Azure Sphere Kit

2. Configure Azure Sphere using Cabe Atwell's Getting Started Guide.

3 Download the contest registration app.

4. Use the contest app to sync your device every day. Alex Glow shows you how and Monica's guide reveals a trick to automating your syncs.

Our friends at SoftWeb Solutions have built an amazing "heat map" to see where our 20,000 Azure Sphere kits have been connected around the globe. You'll be represented each time you do your daily sync and become part of the Azure Sphere's global presence. Check it out at Azure Sphere Heat Map.

What is Microsoft Azure Sphere?

The Azure Sphere consists of three layers of security: in the OS, in the cloud, and in the MCU.

Security in the OS

An OS purpose built for security and agility to create a trustworthy platform for new IoT experiences. A secured OS builds security innovations pioneered in Windows into an HLOS small enough for MCUs.

Security in the MCU

Secured from the silicon up. This new crossover class of MCUs now combines both real-time and application processors with built-in Microsoft security technology and connectivity.

Security in the cloud

Protect devices with a cloud built for IoT security. The Azure Sphere Security Service renews device security, identifies emerging threats, and brokers trust among device, cloud, and other endpoints.

The Hardware

Carrier Board Specs

• Two MikroE Click board expansion sockets
• Grove expansion connector (I2C)
• Onboard sensors: 3-Axis accelerometer, 3-Axis gyro, temperature, pressure/barometric, ambient light
• Interface for optional OLED 128x64 display
• USB Interface
• Supports debug, service & recovery
• UARTs, and JTAG
• User pushbutton switches and LEDs
• 5V to 3.3V Power regulation
• DC Supply Input: USB 5V from the host computer & terminal footprints for external 5V DC and VBAT supplies

Azure Sphere Module

• Arm Cortex-A7 application processor SoC
• 3x ISU interfaces configured for UART, SPI, I2C
• ADC/GPIO: 3x 12-bit ADC inputs (or 3 GPIOs)
• PWM/GPIO: 9x PWM outputs (or up to 24 GPIOs)
• RTC (requires VBAT supply)
• Dual-band 2.4/5GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Dual-band 2.4/5GHz chip antenna

The Software

Take real world scenarios into consideration: your secure solution will need to have a daily communication stream with the Azure Cloud in order to ensure a continuous protected connection. Use your Azure Sphere Development Kit to tap into Microsoft's Cloud Services.

Get your free kit, then get started.

Register here for your free Azure Sphere Development Kit.

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This contest is part of a larger Avnet communities campaign. Check out element14's Sensing the World challenge, webinars, virtual workshops and more resources at secureeverything.avnet.com.

Prizes

Tier 1

For the projects that clearly separate themselves from the rest and demonstrated creativity and exemplary use of the Azure Sphere. To be considered for Tier 1 prizes, you must ping the Azure Cloud once a day for 30 consecutive days.

3 winners

Microsoft Hololens 2

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$3,500 value

The best-in-class project, and the ultimate reference design for the Microsoft Azure Sphere

Tier 2

For the projects that clearly separate themselves from the rest and demonstrated creativity and exemplary use of the Azure Sphere. To be considered for Tier 2 prizes, you must ping the Azure Cloud once a day for 15 consecutive days.

7 winners

Surface Laptop 2

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$1,000 value

Tier 3

To be eligible for the Tier 3 prize, use the contest registration app sync your device for a minimum of 15 days, and help us connect you and your device ID by filling out this form.

500 winners

Raspberry Pi 4

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$35 value

Hackster Impact Prize

Join Hackster as we rally with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to make today's world a smarter, healthier place. The Hackster team will select five projects that best contribute to any of the SDGs. Please refer to the specific judging criteria for this prize category.

5 winners

$250 Gift card + $100 Adafruit Gift card + Video interview + More

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$530 value

The winner will receive the following:
- a $250 gift card;
- a $100 Adafruit gift card (special prize for Secure Everything contest);
- a 12-month subscription to Patchr Premium ($180 value);
- last but not least, they will be featured in a video interview with Hackster’s one and only Alex Glow.

Please visit the Hackster Impact Prize page for more information.

Resources