IoT will fundamentally change how organizations conduct business today. Activities that require significant human effort can become automated, capabilities or skillsets may become obsolete while others grow in demand, and employees will require new skills . We will highlight some of the key impacts to your workforce to plan for success up front with your IoT deployment.

IoT’s potential to solve complex problems is linked to data synergy. IoT devices generate, collect, aggregate, and share data that must be secured in a number of environments, from the edge to the Cloud. As such, organizations must be proactive in their IoT security approaches. As IoT evolves and new security models and approaches are developed, organizations can apply current security best practices to protect IoT data. 

From hospital beds to connected vehicles, and even cows, IoT will continue to bring machines and assets that are critical to business into the connected world. Collecting and sharing data between people and infrastructure means that every object, every interaction, and everything we touch is converted into data. As we begin to decode the world around us, data will enable new insights that can increase efficiency and drive innovation. Cisco predicts that over 50 billion “things” will be connected to the ubiquitous Internet by 2020. As IOT grows and more data is collected automatically, the ability to extract insights from data is critical. 

Anything connected to the Internet is a potential vulnerability to your organization. Current projections indicate that 85% of all devices are disconnected and unsecure. As new devices are lit up and brought online, new risks surface. Because IoT devices often control physical components, from a car to a pacemaker, security is paramount to ensuring safety and, in some cases, protecting life. Security can’t be an afterthought when designing devices or systems – it must be integrated into design in ways we’ve never required before. Embedded security at the chip level can protect systems from logic and execution attacks. Other security design principles include authentication, authorization, encryption, and ease of updates.