As Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives spin up around the globe, the race is on. And building from a foundation that isn’t going to require short-term retooling is critical for continued success of your effort.
Privacy and security have emerged as key requirements for IoT. The cost of not protecting data—both inside a closed environment and end-to-end through the Internet—is too high. Sensor networks such as those envisioned for IoT raise the specter of early-generation SCADA system build-outs, which taught us many lessons. Nobody wants a repeat build-out of early-generation, unprotected infrastructure controls.
The US government is paying close attention. For example, “Security Tenets for Life Critical Embedded Systems” is a draft document from the US Department of Homeland Security currently open for comments. The opening paragraphs include:
“Designing security into life critical embedded systems is increasingly important as more and more devices are becoming Internet connected smart things in the Internet of Things (IoT). . . . These devices have the potential to better mankind, but also the potential to be co-opted by malicious parties and do grave harm.”
Interoperability of IoT devices depends on widely accepted standards. Who’s putting out standards with security in the core?
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