AT&T and Microsoft targeted advances in enterprise IoT security, developing a 4G and LTE-M module enabling connected machines to bypass public Wi-Fi and transmit data to the software giant’s Azure cloud computing service using a private network.

Galen Hunt, MD of Azure Sphere, said in a blog the device will better protect essential equipment and data by tapping heightened security offered by mobile networks, helping enterprises fend off “disruptive” IoT attacks which “jeopardise long-term business value and objectives”.

He explained the AT&T module can be retrofitted to existing Wi-Fi-enabled machines in settings including restaurants and manufacturing plants.

An operator representative told Mobile World Live it is plugged-in via a USB port.

Using AT&T’s networks, the module will enable connectivity for smart machines in more than 200 countries and regions, including remote areas where Wi-Fi is unavailable, Hunt added.

The product is the result of a collaboration between AT&T and Microsoft announced in July 2019, spanning cloud, edge network, cybersecurity and IoT projects.