Why The Things Conference and Thistle Put IoT Security First

When people talk about IoT, they often get excited about the sensors, the connectivity, or the AI. But the real backbone of the industry today is security, and that’s why The Things Conference and Thistle have joined forces to make it the top priority for developers heading to Amsterdam this September.

From LoRaWAN to All of IoT

The Things Conference began as the home of LoRaWAN innovation. It was the place where engineers, developers, and integrators learned how to make long-range, low-power networks actually work in the real world. Fast forward to 2025, and the event has expanded far beyond LoRaWAN. Now, the scope includes cellular IoT, edge computing, energy harvesting, AI workloads, and single-board computers. With so many new technologies being adopted, it makes sense that The Things Conference and Thistle are shining a spotlight on the biggest challenge of them all: keeping every device secure.

Why Security Now

You might be thinking: IoT has been around for years, so why is security suddenly front and centre? The answer is twofold. First, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is pushing European companies to take IoT security seriously, with deadlines approaching in 2026 and 2027. Second, the sheer number of devices and the complexity of networks has created an attack surface too large to ignore. That’s why The Things Conference and Thistle are making sure attendees know how to design products that meet compliance and protect user data from the start.

What Thistle Brings to the Table

Thistle Technologies has built a reputation for simplifying embedded security. Most engineering teams don’t have a dedicated hardware security expert, and historically, adding secure boot, firmware updates, and encrypted communication has been expensive and complex. Thistle’s tools are designed to close that gap, giving developers a way to implement robust protection without stalling product timelines. By teaming up, The Things Conference and Thistle are making security accessible to the thousands of developers and system integrators expected in Amsterdam.

More Than Just Talks

The event isn’t just about high-level presentations. With over 200 sessions, 150 speakers, and 40 workshops, engineers can expect hands-on guidance. Whether you’re interested in CRA compliance, secure OTA updates, or edge device protection, there’s a track for you. And of course, being The Things Conference and Thistle, you can expect plenty of real-world case studies where security decisions made or broke entire deployments.

The Future of IoT

As IoT scales into every industry — from industrial monitoring to consumer wearables — security is what will separate sustainable products from failures. The message from The Things Conference and Thistle is clear: IoT is only as strong as its weakest link, and now is the time to get it right.