Solution

Over-the-Air (OTA) Software Updates

Securely managing all in-vehicle software components anywhere and anytime
HARMAN Over-the-Air (OTA) Software Updates for Passenger Vehicle Manufacturers
An Era of Software Defined Vehicles

​HARMAN OTA enables automakers and Tier-1 suppliers to adapt to an evolving market by securely managing all in-vehicle software components, including firmware, applications, configurations, settings and maps on head units, TCUs (Telematics Control Units) and ECUs (Electronic Control Units).

In a world of continually evolving electronic devices (e.g., automotive ECUs, embedded modules and M2M devices), it is no longer feasible to visit a dealership every time an update is needed. At HARMAN, we enable the OEM and consumer to update their devices remotely while reducing the cost of data transfer and storage. McKinsey & Co. predicts that the car-generated data market will become a $450 billion business by 2030, further strengthening the importance of data transfer and storage costs.  


At the core of the HARMAN OTA Solution is the HARMAN Smart Delta Product. The product offers an innovative approach to performing software updates that improves user experience, cuts costs significantly and reduces the overall time to update devices while ensuring 100% reliability. A pure software-based solution, HARMAN Smart Delta product has the smallest footprint in the industry based on a proven and patented technology. Shipped in more than two billion devices, HARMAN Smart Delta product is the market-leading solution for updating binaries over-the-air.  


HARMAN Smart Delta product overcomes bandwidth and memory limitations by extracting only the essential changes between firmware versions, reducing update files size by up to 97% and generating potential savings of up to 97% of data cost. For example, delivering a 2GB image size would cost the OEM about $133/vehicle compared to a 0.2GB sized image at only $13/vehicle with this product. The estimated savings for a fleet of 500,000 vehicles would be $60 million per a single update. ​

Key Features
01

100% Failsafe Delivery

  • 100% field-proven Smart Delta update technology successfully deployed in more than two billion automotive, IoT and mobile devices to date. It allows for updates to any software component via the smallest possible, connectivity, storage, and cost-efficient payloads, regardless of OS, chipset and device resource constraints, and with uncompromising security.
02

Device Management Capabilities

  • Device Management capabilities enable manufacturers and carriers to easily deliver device settings and configuration updates, via a range of backend facilities. These include a scalable Device Repository and a Device Settings module, a Settings Orchestrator, which ensures device eligibility and compatibility, and coordinates configuration updates, and a Protocol Engine, which handles seamless and secure delivery over a range of device management protocols.​
03

Software Vehicle Catalog

  • The granular Software Catalog, part of the solution’s extensive enterprise backend infrastructure, enables manufacturers to manage and maintain a library of firmware and software versions of any size and intricacy, for a huge array of diverse connected devices.
04

Uncompromising Security

  • The HARMAN solution complies with the ever-evolving cybersecurity regulation, requirements and best practices, including the UNECE’s WP.29, which went into effect in several countries in January 2021. 
  • Our winning model allows for fast deployment by reducing the operational complexity and the risks of potential vehicle recalls or denial-of-service attacks. 
  • The solution addresses security risks via digitally signed and fully authenticated update packages delivered to vehicles under the strictest compliance, while adhering to evolving industry security practices.​
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