Establish trust
Create hardware-rooted identity, per-device credentials, certificates, provisioning records, and a trusted onboarding path.
Device-trust lifecycle platform
CRA-ready device trust is a lifecycle, not a one-time provisioning task
For connected-product OEMs, device trust has to remain visible and manageable across manufacturing, onboarding, security updates, certificate renewal, revocation, support-period operations, and evidence requests. A device-trust lifecycle platform keeps those events connected in one operational record.
Who needs this?
This matters when device trust is shared across product, embedded, manufacturing, cloud, security, and compliance teams.
OEM product and compliance leaders accountable for CRA readinessEmbedded teams implementing device identity, provisioning, and secure updatesManufacturing partners provisioning devices at factory or first bootCloud teams onboarding devices into AWS, Azure, MQTT, or private infrastructureProduct-security teams managing certificates, revocation, lifecycle state, and evidence
The lifecycle model
Maintain trust
Govern secure firmware update workflows, manage certificates, support firmware integrity where available, and keep devices connected to approved services.
Operate trust
Track active, revoked, quarantined, transferred, and decommissioned states as products move through the field lifecycle.
Prove trust
Retain provisioning, certificate, update, revocation, lifecycle, and audit records for customers, auditors, and compliance teams.
Why separate tools fragment OEM accountability
| Fragmented approach | What gets disconnected | Lifecycle platform answer |
|---|---|---|
| PKI tool | Can issue certificates without knowing provisioning history, update eligibility, or lifecycle state. | Connect certificates to identity, onboarding, revocation, renewal, and evidence records. |
| Update tool | Can deliver files without connecting update decisions to device identity, certificate state, rollout eligibility, lifecycle state, or audit evidence. | Connect secure update workflows to trusted devices, lifecycle state, rollout records, retry/rollback handling, and retained evidence. |
| Cloud registry | Can know a device exists without proving how trust was established or how it changes over time. | Connect onboarding targets to identity, certificate status, and lifecycle history. |
| Scripts and manual records | Can automate one step without creating a shared lifecycle record across teams and partners. | Create repeatable workflows and evidence across provisioning, updates, revocation, and decommissioning. |
The connected workflow OEMs need to evidence
ProvisionIssue certificateGovern updatesChange lifecycle stateExport evidence
The category only makes sense if these stages remain connected. The same trust record should show how a device was provisioned, which certificate is valid, which secure update workflow applied, what lifecycle state changed, and which evidence remains.
One trust record across the support period
See how QuarkLink connects provisioning, certificates, secure update workflows, lifecycle state changes, and evidence exports in one device-trust record across the support period.
Device-trust lifecycle record
Smart Controller Evaluation Fleet
Trust event timeline
- 2026-06-04
Provisioned
Device identity created - 2026-06-04
Certificate issued
Device certificate active - 2026-06-05
Onboarded
AWS IoT Core connected - 2026-06-20
Update workflow governed
2.4.1 security release Firmware signed, cohort checked - 2026-06-22
Lifecycle state changed
Quarantine review opened 37 devices flagged after rollout checks
Export package device-trust-lifecycle-smart-controller-fleet.pdf
Export ready Representative QuarkLink app screen. Example data shown.
How QuarkLink fits together
QuarkLink connects device-side trust, cloud lifecycle control, and automation for manufacturing, deployment, and customer systems.
Device SDK
Device-side identity, hardware-root integration, secure provisioning, firmware integrity, secure update handling, retry/rollback support where configured, and communication with QuarkLink.
QuarkLink Cloud
Device identity, certificate lifecycle, policy, secure update workflows, lifecycle state, revocation, and evidence.
CLI / API automation
Manufacturing flows, CI/CD, provisioning automation, deployment workflows, and integration with customer systems.
A device-trust lifecycle platform is not just a standalone PKI tool, update-workflow tool, generic device-operations dashboard, or compliance system of record. It connects the device-trust layer across identity, certificates, secure updates, lifecycle state, revocation, and evidence, and integrates with the broader programme around SBOM, vulnerability handling, incident response, cloud security, and conformity assessment.
See the lifecycle platform in product workflows
Explore how QuarkLink turns the device-trust lifecycle into Device SDK, Cloud, and CLI / API workflows for provisioning, certificates, secure updates, lifecycle state, revocation, and evidence.