Internet of Things Expected To Place Increasing Burden on IT

An article review.

As the number of connected devices increases, IT Departments will face new challenges

The internet of things (IoT) promises a future of convenience for consumers, allowing them to control and monitor appliances, lighting and more throughout their homes from anywhere they can access the internet–but with this convenience can come security risks and extra costs. That is the opinion shared by researchers in an article published on CSO earlier this month, focusing on the burden that the IoT is expected to place on IT departments as their popularity rises.

The researchers quoted in the article go on to explain that IoT devices, comprising items as wide ranging as thermostats, refrigerators, light bulbs and door locks, have the potential to open networks to virtually unlimited attack vectors. Because many of these early devices have no way to update themselves vulnerabilities that are discovered may be permanent, and even with the ability to be updated in the field such updates may be slow to arrive because IoT manufacturers frequently lack backgrounds in technology.

Combine these risks with the typically lax attitudes that end users can have concerning technology and you have a situation where IT departments will have to devote an increasing amount of time to addressing IoT issues, and that will cost companies money: over half a billion dollars annually by 2018, according to sources quoted in the article.

There won’t be one single solution for organizations in the future either, according to the article. The experts quoted in the piece say the number and variety of IoT devices will create unique environments that will have to be addressed on an individual basis, and remind managers that, as always, complacency is the enemy.

Original article by Bob Violino writing for CSO.