diff --git a/components/service/common/component.cmake b/components/service/common/component.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..041f7d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/service/common/component.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Copyright (c) 2020, Arm Limited and Contributors. All rights reserved.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+#
+#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+if (NOT DEFINED TGT)
+	message(FATAL_ERROR "mandatory parameter TGT is not defined.")
+endif()
+
+target_include_directories(${TGT}
+	 PRIVATE
+		"${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}"
+	)
diff --git a/components/service/common/serializer/protobuf/component.cmake b/components/service/common/serializer/protobuf/component.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b9f8d97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/service/common/serializer/protobuf/component.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Copyright (c) 2020, Arm Limited and Contributors. All rights reserved.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+#
+#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+if (NOT DEFINED TGT)
+	message(FATAL_ERROR "mandatory parameter TGT is not defined.")
+endif()
+
+target_sources(${TGT} PRIVATE
+	"${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/pb_helper.c"
+	)
diff --git a/components/service/common/serializer/protobuf/pb_helper.c b/components/service/common/serializer/protobuf/pb_helper.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d32b30c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/service/common/serializer/protobuf/pb_helper.c
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2020, Arm Limited and Contributors. All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+ */
+
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include "pb_helper.h"
+#include <pb_encode.h>
+#include <pb_decode.h>
+
+static bool pb_encode_byte_array(pb_ostream_t *stream, const pb_field_t *field, void * const *arg) {
+
+    const pb_bytes_array_t *byte_array = (const pb_bytes_array_t *)*arg;
+    if (!pb_encode_tag_for_field(stream, field)) return false;
+
+    return pb_encode_string(stream, byte_array->bytes, byte_array->size);
+}
+
+static bool pb_decode_byte_array(pb_istream_t *stream, const pb_field_t *field, void **arg) {
+
+    (void)field;
+    pb_bytes_array_t *byte_array = (pb_bytes_array_t *)*arg;
+    if (stream->bytes_left > byte_array->size) return false;
+
+    byte_array->size = stream->bytes_left;
+
+    return pb_read(stream, byte_array->bytes, stream->bytes_left);
+}
+
+pb_callback_t pb_out_byte_array(const pb_bytes_array_t *byte_array) {
+
+    pb_callback_t callback;
+    callback.funcs.encode = pb_encode_byte_array;
+    callback.arg = (void*)byte_array;
+
+    return callback;
+}
+
+pb_callback_t pb_in_byte_array(pb_bytes_array_t *byte_array) {
+
+    pb_callback_t callback;
+    callback.funcs.decode = pb_decode_byte_array;
+    callback.arg = (void*)byte_array;
+    return callback;
+}
+
+pb_bytes_array_t *pb_malloc_byte_array(size_t num_bytes) {
+
+    pb_bytes_array_t *byte_array = (pb_bytes_array_t*)malloc(offsetof(pb_bytes_array_t, bytes) + num_bytes);
+
+    if (byte_array) {
+
+        byte_array->size = num_bytes;
+    }
+
+    return byte_array;
+}
+
+pb_bytes_array_t *pb_malloc_byte_array_containing_string(const char *str) {
+
+    pb_bytes_array_t *byte_array;
+    size_t required_space = strlen(str) + 1;
+
+    byte_array = pb_malloc_byte_array(required_space);
+
+    if (byte_array) {
+
+        memcpy(byte_array->bytes, str, required_space);
+    }
+
+    return byte_array;
+}
+
+pb_bytes_array_t *pb_malloc_byte_array_containing_bytes(const uint8_t *buf, size_t num_bytes) {
+
+    pb_bytes_array_t *byte_array = pb_malloc_byte_array(num_bytes);
+
+    if (byte_array) {
+
+        memcpy(byte_array->bytes, buf, num_bytes);
+    }
+
+    return byte_array;
+}
diff --git a/components/service/common/serializer/protobuf/pb_helper.h b/components/service/common/serializer/protobuf/pb_helper.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f109b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/service/common/serializer/protobuf/pb_helper.h
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2020, Arm Limited and Contributors. All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+ */
+
+#ifndef PB_HELPER_H
+#define PB_HELPER_H
+
+#include <pb.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+/* Returns an initialised pb_callback_t structure for encoding a variable length byte array */
+extern pb_callback_t pb_out_byte_array(const pb_bytes_array_t *byte_array);
+
+/* Returns an initialised pb_callback_t structure for decoding a variable length byte array */
+extern pb_callback_t pb_in_byte_array(pb_bytes_array_t *byte_array);
+
+/* Malloc space for a pb_bytes_array_t object with space for the requested number of bytes */
+extern pb_bytes_array_t *pb_malloc_byte_array(size_t num_bytes);
+
+/* Malloc space for a pb_bytes_array_t object containing the given string */
+extern pb_bytes_array_t *pb_malloc_byte_array_containing_string(const char *str);
+
+/* Malloc space for a pb_bytes_array_t object containing the given bytes */
+extern pb_bytes_array_t *pb_malloc_byte_array_containing_bytes(const uint8_t *buf, size_t num_bytes);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+} /* extern "C" */
+#endif
+
+#endif /* PB_HELPER_H */