FEATURE: IoT
As today’s highly competitive
and hyperconnected digital
marketplace is driving
new trends in networking
and security, including the
rapid adoption of cloud
services and IoT devices,
Jonathan Nguyen-Duy, Vice
President, Global Field CISO
Team, Fortinet, explains the
importance of securing IoT
and cloud connections.
The hyperconnected, global
marketplace of the 21st century
has shifted the landscape for
networking and security. Two
prevalent trends in this area – cloud
adoption and the rise of the Internet of
Things (IoT) – are seemingly two different
components of Digital Transformation,
with separate purposes and scope.
However, they actually work together,
fuelling one another in the digital
ecosystem. This symbiotic relationship
has important implications when it comes
to deploying, using and securing cloud
services and the IoT.
As the number of IoT devices grows, so does
the amount of data they generate. This is in
addition to the massive stores of data that
are already being amassed by businesses,
governments and even individuals – data
that must be collected, processed, mined
and stored.
Take, for example, the use of sensors in
warehouses where inventory can be tracked.
This technology provides managers with
essential data on purchasing trends so they
are better equipped to manage inventory,
especially on fast-selling items.
Similar devices in retail locations provide
information not just about inventory, but
everything from temperatures in refrigeration
units to customer purchasing trends.
IoT sensors installed on manufacturing
equipment provide production managers
with critical information. Environmental data
from these sensors signal evidence of wear
and tear on expensive equipment, alerting
managers about maintenance before that
equipment fails and costs the organisation
millions of dollars in lost productivity.
As a result of these and other use cases,
organisations are finding that in order
to keep up with the massive amounts of
data they are amassing, they need to act
fast and build out their data management
resources. For many, this comes in the form
of a standard, two-pronged solution: easily
scalable cloud data centres and highperforming
infrastructures developed to
support data mining for critical information.
An increased digital footprint
results in increased risk
One of the top challenges associated with
IoT adoption is security. Botnets are the
most common IoT cyberthreat, causing
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
like the notorious Mirai, which infected tens
of thousands of IoT devices before causing
massive disruption.
When compromised, IoT devices may do
the following:
• Intercept data being transmitted
• Act as a vehicle for malware
Securing connections
in the cloud and across
IoT devices
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