Share your knowledge — IoT
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the use of intelligently connected devices and systems to leverage data gathered by embedded sensors and actuators in machines and other physical objects. IoT is expected to spread rapidly over the coming years and this convergence will unleash a new dimension of services that improve the quality of life of consumers and productivity of enterprises, unlocking an opportunity that the GSMA refers to as the ‘Connected Life’. For consumers, the IoT has the potential to deliver solutions that dramatically improve energy efficiency, security, health, education and many other aspects of daily life. For enterprises, IoT can underpin solutions that improve decision-making and productivity in manufacturing, retail, agriculture and other sectors. Machine to Machine (M2M) solutions — a subset of the IoT — already use wireless networks to connect devices to each other and the Internet, with minimal direct human intervention, to deliver services that meet the needs of a wide range of industries. In 2013, M2M connections accounted for 2.8% of global mobile connections (195 million), indicating that the sector is still at a relatively early stage in its development. An evolution of M2M, the IoT represents the coordination of multiple vendors’ machines, devices and appliances connected to the Internet through multiple networks. While the potential impact of the IoT is considerable, a concerted effort is required to move beyond this early stage. In order to optimise the development of the market, a common understanding of the distinct nature of the opportunity is required.
IoT will enable life-enhancing services
As the Internet of Things evolves, the proliferation of smart connected devices supported by mobile networks, providing pervasive and seamless connectivity, will unlock opportunities to provide life-enhancing services for consumers while boosting productivity for enterprises.
Example IoT smart cities applications:
In cities, the development of smart grids, data analytics and autonomous vehicles will provide an intelligent platform to deliver innovations in energy management, traffic management and security, sharing the benefits of this technology throughout society
Example IoT health applications:
The IoT will also help widen access and improve quality of education and health. As demand for healthcare doubles , connected smart devices will help address this challenge by supporting a range of e-health services that improve access and enable monitoring of chronic diseases and Connected
Example IoT education applications:
In education, mobile-enabled solutions will tailor the learning process to each student’s needs, Source: McKinsey internal overallresearch,CISCO,proficiency
IDC manufacturing insights levels, while linking virtual and physical classrooms to make improving learning more convenient and accessible.
Example IoT productivity applications:
For enterprises, the ability of IoT to combine innovations in data analytics, 3D
printing and sensors, will improve productivity by enabling a step change in the quality of decision making, efficiency of production, personalisation of retail and productivity of food production.
IoT Security and Privacy Challenges:
IoT brought users huge benefits; however, some challenges come along with it. Cybersecurity and privacy risks are the primary concerns of the researchers and security specialists cited. These two are posing a considerable predicament for many business organizations as well as public organizations.
Prevalent high-profile cybersecurity attacks have demonstrated the vulnerabilities of IoT technologies. This vulnerability is simply because the interconnectivity of networks in the Internet of Things brings
along accessibility from anonymous and untrusted Internet requiring novel security solutions .
Of all the challenges that are known, none of them has a more significant influence on IoT
adaptation, such as security and privacy. It is, however, unfortunate that the users do not often have
the required acknowledgment of the security impacts until the time when a breach has occurred,
causing massive damages such as loss of crucial data. With the ongoing security breaches which have
compromised the privacy of users, the appetite of the consumers for poor security is now declining.
In a recent review conducted regarding privacy and security, consumer-grade Internet of Things did
not do well. There were a lot of vulnerabilities in modern automotive systems.
The IoT is diverse from traditional computers and computing devices, makes it more vulnerable to security challenges in different ways :
Many devices in the Internet of Things are designed for deployment on a massive scale. An excellent example of this is sensors.
Usually, the deployment of IoT comprises of a set of alike or nearly identical appliances that bear similar characteristics. This similarity amplifies the magnitude of any vulnerability in the security that may significantly affect many of them. Similarly, many institutions have come up with guides for risk assessment conduction. This step means that the probable number of links interconnected between the IoT devices is unprecedented.
It is also clear that many of these devices can establish connections and communicate with other devices automatically in an irregular way. These call for consideration of the accessible tools, techniques, and tactics which are related to the security of IoT. Even with the issue of security in the sector of information and technology not being new, IoT implementation has presented unique challenges that need to be addressed. The consumers are
required to trust the Internet of Things devices and the services are very are secure from weaknesses.
