Securing a Disruptive Technology

The Internet of Things (IoT) ignites many positive changes, but its vulnerabilities must be addressed.

 

The Internet of Things (IoT) involves the extension of internet connectivity beyond personal computers and mobile devices to a wide range of devices – or ‘things’ – so they can share data with other things via networks or cloud-based platforms.

Today, worldwide, there are more IoT-connected devices than there are humans. Real-world examples of IoT range from wearables like smartwatches to inventory tracking chips, from a smart home that automatically adjusts heating and lighting to a smart factory that monitors industrial machines to look for problems, then automatically adjusts to avoid failures.

The real-time insights gleaned from IoT collected data enables many positive changes for health and safety, business operations, industrial performance, and global environmental and humanitarian issues.

Advantages of IoT networks include:

  • More efficient resource utilization
  • Minimize human efforts in many life aspects
  • Reduce the cost of production and maximize returns
  • Guarantee high-quality data and secured processing
  • Makes analytics-based decisions faster and more accurately

 

Vulnerabilities of IoT

The proliferation of the IoT is changing entire sectors and industries in ways never expected before. As the adoption of IoT continues to grow, organizations must be knowledgeable about the inherent vulnerabilities and risks of this technology.

IoT devices are often targets of weakness such as out-of-date operating systems, unpatched vulnerabilities, unmonitored traffic and insufficient authentication measures.

Tampering or hacking IoT systems can grant access to sensitive information or proprietary data.

To prevent hackers from exploiting vulnerabilities in IoT systems, it is crucial to ensure device security and authentication.

 

MER’s IoT security solutions

The MER Group solutions for urban management and for protection of critical infrastructure (such as airports, seaports and natural resources) often involve IoT technology.

Therefore, MER’s system engineers have gained a lot of experience in securing IoT devices and networks.

One solution is to integrate tamper-proof IoT systems, which provide protection against intrusion and data loss. These systems use a variety of measures including firmware updates and encryption algorithms to safeguard devices against unauthorized access.

Firewalls also aid in restricting access to information, and software upgrades can be utilized to upgrade outdated operating systems.

MER’s solutions provide trusted, end-to-end protection against all IoT threats, and ensure that businesses maintain a competitive edge in this explosive market.

By choosing MER Group as a trusted partner, organizations can rest assured that their IoT systems are secure and efficient.