Security

What CIOs Should Know About Network Security and the Internet of Things

Internet of Things SecurityDevices, like smart appliances and wearable technology, that have the ability to connect to your network can be extremely vulnerable to data theft or cyber crime. Today, most experts agree that the Internet of Things presents three major challenges for business:

  1. Unauthorized remote access to network.
  2. The Internet of Things can give a device access that is beyond the control of both the user and organization.
  3. Devices are often unmonitored and unpatched with no uniformly accepted method of implementing security.

Because of the way most IoT devices connect to the internet, there is a ‘backdoor’ that can be used to steal your data or deploy a DDoS attack. Moving forward, it will be a major concern for CIOs and IT Managers on what steps to take when guarding their company’s network and data against IoT related vulnerabilities.

Unified Management of IoT Devices

IoT devices can be very tricky to identify on your network, even to the most security-savvy CIO. “The complexity of creating and maintaining an IoT system, which includes sensors, actuators, communications protocols, and device provisioning processes, among others, poses unique challenges,” says Annie Hsu, associate strategy director at frog. In order to protect their network, CIOs should consider implementing technology that is designed to unify the management of IoT devices. For example, Microsoft Azure has introduced a suite designed to manage IoT devices. Look for many more programs and applications to follow suit in the near future.

Create a Guest Network for Wearable Technology

Rather than have IoT devices on your network, make a guest account that doesn’t have access to your network or data. This way the device retains its functionality and you’re not putting the future of your business at risk. It’s a win/win situation.

Update Your BYOD Policy

One way to protect your business is by updating your BYOD Policy to include a few statements regarding the use of a device that connects to the internet. Having an established best practice let’s your employees know what you expect, and that violation may result in disciplinary actions.

Educate Your Company on IoT Threats

Educating your employees might seem like a fruitless venture but it isn’t. Only 35% of employees are aware that their company has any kind of policies or information about using IoT devices in the office.

But still, as of the 2015 Open DNS report about IoT safety, there hasn’t been any major breach of an enterprises network. What do you think about IoT safety? Are you playing it safe and preparing or will you wait and cross that bridge when you come to it?

Ryan Lakin