Kontron and congatec have expanded their collaboration to integrate Kontron's security-hardened Linux operating system with congatec's application-ready ecosystem. This move targets industrial and IoT applications amid rising cybersecurity regulations. The partnership aims to simplify development and ensure compliance with standards like IEC 62443 and the EU Cyber Resilience Act.
Kontron and congatec announced an enhanced partnership on December 29, 2025, focusing on modular, cyber-secure embedded platforms for industrial automation, critical infrastructure, and connected edge devices. The core of this initiative combines KontronOS—a proprietary, hardened Linux-based operating system designed for long-term availability and modular expansion—with congatec's aReady.COM portfolio. This integration provides customers with pre-installed, licensed computer-on-modules and systems, reducing development time, certification processes, and overall costs.
Security features are bolstered by congatec's hypervisor technology, which separates critical core applications from IoT or edge components. When paired with KontronAIShield, the solution isolates safety- and security-relevant functions from less critical workloads, enhancing resilience against cyber threats. The approach supports compliance with IEC 62443 and the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), addressing mandatory secure-by-design requirements in regulated sectors.
KontronOS is available through a subscription model within aReady.COM and can be extended with options like KontronAIShield for AI security and KontronGrid for device management. This modularity allows tailored solutions that lower lifecycle expenses while meeting regulatory needs.
Hannes Niederhauser, CEO of Kontron, stated: “With KontronOS, we offer a secure, modular, and standardized platform that will be available on all modules in the long term and will form the basis for future innovations. At the same time, we are responding agilely to technological requirements arising from the CRA directive and the development of AI. We are delighted to further deepen our partnership with congatec with this step and to be able to offer our customers even more powerful and secure solutions together.”
Dominik Ressing, CEO of congatec, added: “We are expanding our application-ready embedded computer hardware and software building blocks with the secure KontronOS. This means that aReady.COM offers our customers even more flexibility and security. With aReady.COM, customers can bring secure and innovative solutions to market faster while reducing non-recurring engineering costs and total cost of ownership.”
This collaboration builds on an initial partnership from May 2025, with congatec continuing to supply embedded modules to Kontron, broadening access to diverse portfolios.
