Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 45 | Page 42

FEATURE : IOT
Simon Bryden , Manager Consulting Systems Engineering at Fortinet , discusses why an integrated and holistic security architecture is necessary to offer the visibility required to see and identify IoT devices , as well as offering prevention and detection components needed to mitigate the effects of an attack .

Internet of Things ( IoT ) devices are everywhere . From consumer devices such as connected thermostats and door-entry systems to Industrial IoT ( IIoT ) such as actuators and sensors , these smart and connected devices are increasingly being deployed in all areas of industry – manufacturing , oil and gas , energy , mining and agriculture .

IoT offers endless opportunities
It ’ s all about the data . The value and intelligence derived from the data that is extracted from these devices is priceless , with endless opportunities for organisations or individuals . IoT adoption figures confirm this growing importance : connected devices have exponentially increased in the last five years , with approximately 20 billion devices in 2020 and around 75 billion planned by 2025 .
This acceleration will be fuelled by 5G . For most people , 5G is associated with faster downloads to their mobile phones . However , the real driver for 5G will not be phones but IoT as it will bring powerful capabilities such as high device density and highly reliable communications with very low latency . In addition , cheap sensors can be built with a low operational cost , identity management , authentication

Securing the Internet of Things in the 5G era

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