Device Identity for OEM & ODM Manufacturers | Smallstep
Connected devices without cryptographic identity are a liability
From AI home systems and smart locks to robotics and industrial control hardware, connected products can no longer ship with shared secrets. OEM and ODM manufacturers serving regulated and security-sensitive markets are being required to embed hardware-bound, cryptographically verifiable device identity at manufacturing — not bolt it on later.
Device identity Is now a market requirement
Security review delays and lost deals
Enterprise buyers increasingly require mutual TLS, certificate rotation, and hardware-bound identity. Devices without it stall in procurement or get rejected outright.
Shared secrets create fleet-wide blast radius
API keys and static credentials are extractable. One compromised device can expose an entire product line.
No hardware binding, no trust
Without keys generated inside TPMs or Secure Enclaves, device identity can be copied, replayed, and impersonated.
Firmware and update risk
Over-the-air updates and remote management require provable device identity. Without it, update channels become attack surfaces.
Regulated market exclusion
Defense, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure buyers demand verifiable cryptographic controls.
Lost differentiation
As hardware commoditizes, embedded trust and identity become defensible product capabilities.
Identity embedded at the device layer
Replace shared secrets with device-bound cryptographic identity that scales across consumer IoT, robotics, networking gear, and industrial systems.
- Keys generated inside TPM or Secure Enclave
- Automated certificate issuance via ACME
- Hardware-backed attestation
- Automated renewal, rotation, and revocation
- Lifecycle enforcement across fleets
Enterprise and security-conscious consumer buyers don’t want devices that "trust by password." They want provable identity.
A trust infrastructure for hardware manufacturers
Deliver enterprise-ready identity without building your own PKI or operating certificate infrastructure.
- Manufacturing-time or first-boot enrollment
- Policy-driven lifecycle management
- Integration with enterprise IAM, VPN, Wi‑Fi, APIs
- Works across consumer and industrial deployments
This is not MDM. This is the cryptographic foundation for device trust.
Zero Trust for connected products
Devices must authenticate everywhere TLS exists — to APIs, cloud services, gateways, and peer devices.
- Mutual TLS across device-to-cloud traffic
- Secure device-to-device communication
- Hardware-bound identity for remote access
- Cryptographic policy enforcement
This is how modern connected devices meet enterprise and high-assurance consumer expectations.
Unlock regulated and security-sensitive deployments
Built for Regulated and Security-Sensitive Markets
Identity unlocks markets that shared secrets cannot.
- Government and defense procurement
- Healthcare and medical systems
- Critical infrastructure and utilities
- Financial and PCI environments
- Enterprise SaaS and cloud integrations
Shared secrets vs. device certificates
One scales risk. The other scales trust.
| Shared Secrets | Device Certificates | |
|---|---|---|
| Credential model | Static embedded keys | Device-bound cryptographic identity |
| Audit traceability | Limited attribution | Cryptographically verifiable |
| Rotation and lifecycle | Manual, fragile | Automated and policy-driven |
| Zero Trust alignment | Weak by design | Strong by design |
| Fleet scalability | Risk compounds with scale | Designed for fleet operations |
| Enterprise readiness | Procurement friction | Faster security approval |
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Built for product, firmware, and enterprise integration teams
Integrate identity into your product architecture—not just your security tooling.
- CTOs and technical leadership
- Firmware, platform, and systems engineering
- Enterprise integration and solutions teams
- Security, compliance, and risk stakeholders
- Product strategy and corporate development
- Enterprise trust becomes part of your roadmap—not a customer-specific exception.
Enterprise readiness is a strategic product capability
Enterprise customers increasingly demand device-level identity and cryptographic assurance. Devices that can’t integrate into enterprise trust architectures create ongoing security friction—and slow down deals.