Symantec is an AllSeen Alliance Community Member, one of the world’s largest software companies and a leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Roxane Divol, SVP Product and Services Acceleration Group for Symantec, shares why the company decided to join the AllSeen Alliance and how they plan to contribute to AllJoyn for a connected experience that will change the Internet of Things.

I’m delighted to report that Symantec has now added its full weight as a Community Member to the AllSeen Alliance open source consortium – the broadest cross-industry effort to address fundamental use cases, in order to accelerate the reach and impact of the Internet of Everything or Internet of Things (IoT).

The Alliance intends to achieve this goal by providing interoperability across all devices, operating systems, embedded software, utilising any form of connectivity, under a common language for communication. This should drive the widespread adoption of products, systems and services that support the IoT through an open, universal development framework.

This open source framework provides the core building blocks developers need to address discoverability, connectivity, security and management of dynamic, ad-hoc networks between nearby devices. Using the Alliance’s AllJoyn technology would help make the brand into a sign of device interoperability. Though numerous use cases are focused on the home environment, AllJoyn protocols enable extension of interoperable services to the car and enterprise, too.

Why does this have such appeal to us? Primarily because that framework, based on AllJoyn, will enable companies and individuals to create interoperable products that can discover, connect and interact directly with other nearby devices, systems and services, regardless of transport layer, device type, platform, operating system or brand. That includes the mobile devices consumers always have with them; the appliances and media equipment in their homes; the electronics in their cars; the office equipment in their workplaces… a very exciting prospect for all those involved with the alliance and a huge opportunity for Symantec!

Information is everything in our world (from data to identities to interactions) and we are dedicated to protecting it, so that it can be used simply, safely and quickly.

The AllSeen Alliance is clearly a great venue for Symantec to demonstrate our thought leadership and prove that we are not only the Information Protection authority, but, most of all, a reliable advisor to bring peace of mind and a much needed sense of trust.

Symantec has a vast number of assets that are highly relevant to the IoT world (such as storage, backup, discovery, compliance, user authentication, data loss protection, analytics, asset & service management, endpoint security, MDM/MAM, mobile security etc). We don’t just protect computers against viruses and shield the data center from threats; we protect information wherever it resides and however it may travel (at rest, in transit and at the endpoint).

As a tidal wave of constantly connected devices becomes the IoT reality, we aim to support the initiative through our security experience and leadership, be that in the area of User Authentication, Malware Protection, Mobile Device Management, Data Loss Protection, Backup, Discovery, Compliance, Analytics etc – in fact, wherever we can bring safety and security to a 24×7 connected world. Ultimately, Symantec wants to act as a reliable adviser within the Alliance, bringing that essential peace of mind and sense of trust mentioned above, while also demonstrating our thought leadership in the security arena – a key condition to IoT adoption and success.

We will be focusing on smart homes as a starting point, while also exploring ways to cooperate with other members of the Alliance. In other words, this will be an AllSeen and all-embracing engagement for Symantec.

Moreover, the timing is absolutely right. As the IoT gathers pace, things are getting smarter and everything is getting connected, whether that be wireless or wired, over a variety of protocols and bearers. But what is still missing? A shared framework and common language for communication. Smart things need to be able to recognise, communicate and interact with each other, regardless of manufacturer, type of device, OS or embedded software, connectivity type or compute resources available. This is where the Alliance’s codebase, built upon the AllJoyn Framework, will come to the fore, providing an open source communication platform for the Internet of Everything.

By being part of the Alliance, Symantec will, alongside other members, be contributing to and influencing the direction of AllJoyn services and features, so new products and applications can be created, secure in the knowledge that they will be interoperable in future roadmaps.

Make no mistake: the connected experience is changing forever – and will change everything. This is the spark that lit what has now become the AllSeen Alliance, We share that passion and will be looking to develop partnerships that create powerful commercial advantages by: sharing intelligence and influencing what happens; reinforcing our thought leadership where we can; and learning from and engaging with other members, as the alliance goes from strength to strength.

Membership Value of AllSeen Alliance:

  • Contribute and influence the direction of AllJoyn services and features;
  • ​Priority to contribute strategic definitions of services for your product portfolio that are key to optimising your product experiences;
  • Create products and applications and be secure in the knowledge that they will be interoperable in future roadmaps;
  • Ability to guide feature sets in requirements documents and future technology roadmaps of AllJoyn through working groups, technical contributions and earning committer status; and
  • Feature your AllJoyn certified projects and applications at key industry events, website and marketing collateral.