An AES in the Hole

Government vendors gain advantage with fully compliant solutions

It's no secret that government facilities must have airtight security systems and protocols in place for protecting communications. In fact, that's one thing every official, company and government body can agree on. With a new administration in place and an increased focus on all levels of security, especially cyber security, it is vital that all government agencies have policies and technology in place to safeguard against unwanted attacks.

The challenge is finding vendors with the ability to provide tight data security that meets all security and encryption standards set forth by the government. This is especially true when short compliance deadlines and quick time-to-market conditions are required. However, if vendors can find a way to meet all requirements and provide fully compliant security solutions, they automatically have a competitive advantage.

Wanted: Lockdown Data Security

Honeywell International, a global public company based in New Jersey, understood the urgency and quickly set out to find a way to incorporate all new government security standards for encryption, including advanced encryption. The company provides solutions that support regulatory compliance, improve profitability and maintain safe environments in homes, buildings and industry. To keep a majority of the company's business and help customers meet critical deadlines, Honeywell needed a fast, efficient and cost-effective way of addressing the AES for government installation.

In June 2003, the government adopted the AES encryption standard, which was announced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2001. It is based on FIPS-197. Today, AES is one of the most popular algorithms used in symmetric key cryptography. Honeywell understood the need to quickly obtain the level of secure connectivity needed for its customers. Knowing the parameters of the company's limited expertise in the subject matter and personal capabilities, they immediately turned to Lantronix for help.

Instant Implementation, Data Security

Lantronix has developed secure device servers and networking equipment for decades, working with customers to ensure their needs and standards are met. The company's SecureBox SDS product was the first device server certified by NIST to meet FIPS-197 standards for ensuring secure data communication at AES levels. Having worked with Lantronix in the past, Honeywell was confident that together, they could quickly find a solution that met Honeywell's needs, while limiting engineering changes for Lantronix.

"For more than three decades, Honeywell has been a leading provider of advanced security systems for government applications," said Greg Turner, director of global offer management at Honeywell International. "Therefore, it was critical that we find a cost-effective way to address the new AES-certification requirement for our customers. Based on our past experience with Lantronix, we had confidence the SecureBox device servers were the solution that could enable us to quickly meet that challenge."

Securebox device servers provided a complete end-to-end solution for ensuring that the information within these devices could be securely accessed and transmitted over a network or the Internet. The single- and dual-port external device servers incorporated Lantronix' proven hardware, firmware and software utilities, making it a perfect fit.

The SecureBox SDS1100 was incorporated directly into the Honeywell enterprise buildings integrator architecture. The solution enabled Honeywell's remote security and access control devices to provide network communications with advanced encryption, without replacing existing controllers. By incorporating Lantronix' SecureBox directly into the system architecture, Honeywell greatly enhanced the level of secure data communications between networked devices at facilities.

Reduced Time to Market

"Working with our customers to hit clearly-defined objectives is a core strength of Lantronix," said Jerry Chase, CEO of Lantronix. "We knew from the start that Honeywell needed a highly-secure solution quickly. Thanks to our newly-certified SecureBox product, we were able to deliver exactly what the customer needed in a tight timeframe."

Honeywell obtained the required level of secure connectivity within days. The ease of implementation allowed the company to quickly bring its Security Manager (a component of EBI) to market. Using the SecureBox SDS1100, Honeywell decreased its time-to-market and increased its competitive advantage. The company also retained its current customer base, while offering a leading-edge solution for other government agencies looking to comply with the AES standard.

"By incorporating the SecureBox SDS1100 directly into our new products, we were able to accelerate the launch of our AES-certified Honeywell Enterprise Buildings Integrator to meet critical government compliance deadlines for our clients," Turner said.

Working with government agencies requires flexibility and the ability to commit to rigid deadlines. Companies able to deliver under these restraints benefit greatly in today's volatile business environment.

Lantronix' solutions allowed Honeywell to honor a time-sensitive commitment and product specification for a very important customer—the government.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • AI to Help Resolve Non-Emergency Calls Across Utah and Decrease 911 Caller Wait Times

    The Utah Communications Authority (UCA), which oversees the state’s next generation 911 technology services, recently announced that public safety answering points (PSAPs) throughout the state plan to implement Motorola Solutions’ Virtual Response technology to automate the receipt and resolution of 10-digit non-emergency line calls in Utah with the help of AI. Read Now

  • Report: 2025 Video Surveillance Market Set to Grow After Small Decline in 2024

    Novaira Insights has unveiled its latest report, “World Market for Video Surveillance Hardware and Software – 2025 Edition.” The research indicates that the global market for video surveillance hardware and software experienced a slight decline of 0.3% in 2024. This performance fell short of previous forecasts, primarily due to a significant decrease of 7.8% in the Chinese market. Conversely, the rest of the world saw a growth of 4.9%. The global market for video surveillance equipment was estimated to be worth $25.0 billion in 2024. Read Now

  • Report Reveals Local Governments Face Surge in Ransomware Attacks with Minimal Resources

    KnowBe4, the cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, recently released new research highlighting the critical cybersecurity challenges facing state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments. The report details how government organizations have become prime targets for cybercriminals while simultaneously facing severe resource constraints. Read Now

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities