IIoT Top News: CES 2016 & the Fate of IoT
All eyes appeared to be on the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 in Las Vegas since last week, as more than 3,600 companies unveiled the IoT and IIoT innovations we can all expect to see in the coming year. This year’s CES showcased plans to make the car a complete mobile office—with technology in place to allow Skype calls and the use of Microsoft 365 from the car. The other hot theme at CES was drones – not a surprise since these unmanned crafts have pulled us in like a tracker-beam to the mother ship. The autonomous ‘copter drone was one of the most impressive releases with the reality that the businessman of tomorrow doesn’t need a private jet, just a ‘copter drone and a smart phone. Now, as we watched all the products rolled out for their various purposes, it seems we have more connected things to add to an already expansive connected world. How will IoT connectivity technologies weather the storm as demand continues to skyrocket? According to IDC Research, IoT is about to take center stage by globally growing from $656 billion in 2014 to $1.7 trillion by 2020. The buzzwords of 2016 and beyond, IoT and IIoT specifically, simply show we are moving to an “everything is connected” environment. Naturally, once the luster of a shiny new thing wears off, we are tasked with the goal of protecting a critical piece of the IoT world – the data. Businesses need to make sure they are keeping information safe and secure. In this digital innovation age, plenty of industries (and therefore technologies) can’t afford a hack or cybersecurity breach at any time, for fear of customer loss. Companies need to trust their digital information infrastructure will be not only be safe, but also high-performing – or they could very well risk extinction altogether. This week’s IIoT top news post takes another look at the fate of IIoT, as many new “connected things” hit the market this year. Hope you enjoy this week’s recap, and as always, tell us what we missed! Enterprise IoT Projects Will Be Costly, Lengthy and Vulnerable, Says Gartner (Computer Weekly) As the IIoT continues to inhabit day-to-day life, it’s not a surprise that, fifty percent of businesses will use some form of IoT systems by the year 2020. Gartner states that, “By 2020, addressing the black market and other compromises around IoT security will push overall security budgets up, with IoT costs expected to account for twenty percent of annual security budgets, compared with one percent in 2015.” Does Anyone Really Care About the Internet of Things? (Forbes) In this latest article by Forbes, Todd Hixon claims the term IoT was coined 17 years agoand he is still waiting for the killer ultimate app to come out. Hixon further suggests that when it comes to IoT, “Most of the time people prefer to ignore security and focus on more immediate needs and wants.” CES 2016 Takeaways: IoT Could Be the Death of Your Security Network (Network World) The real takeaway from CES 2016 is the overall lack of security for all these new IoT gadgets entering the market and how they fit into the IIoT ecosystem. Tom Henderson, from Network World believes the fate of IoT after CES is that “The damage, the damnation, the truculent total churl of the event was this: all of the new Internet of Thingies/IoT/KewlGear has no cohesive security strategy.” The Internet of Things: Hyped But Here to Stay (USA Today Tech) As the magnitude of connected things get ready for their clos-up, it would appear all the hype for IoT is here to stay. Edward Baig, with USA Today reports that, “You couldn’t walk around CES this week without hearing about or bumping into products related in some way to IoT, the tech industry’s inelegant way of describing all things connected.” What’s Next for the Internet of Things? (TECHCO) Sensors, software, electronic devices and M2M have taken over our daily lives. So, what’s next for IoT? Monoka Jha, with Tech.CO thinks the industry plan needs, “To use the Internet of Things optimally, we need to connect a device to different industries through varied media. For that to happen, the different industries need to have a common physical medium.”
Earth-Shaking: Resiliency & Smart Infrastructure Lead Seismic Monitoring Efforts
Seismic monitoring tends to pop up in the news only during disaster situations, or, more recently, in conjunction with North Korea’s possible detonation of a hydrogen bomb. Earlier in 2015, The New Yorker ran a piece, “The Really Big One,” looking at the probability of a large earthquake destroying the Pacific Northwest. The earthquake off the coast of Japan in 2011 triggered one of the largest nuclear plant meltdowns of recent history, the impact of which we are still dealing with today. Point being, the typical association with seismic monitoring – earthquakes and explosions – is negative. The day-to-day reality, however, is much more interesting. Every day, vast amounts of seismic data are being collected the world over, and that data is being reflected by cities taking action to create smarter, more resilient infrastructures – especially in areas where seismic activity either happens frequently or would be devastating were an event to occur. Geological hazard monitoring has become a primary focus for many areas of the world, and as the technology has matured, so has the ability to transport data in real time. In turn, with real-time data transport comes the ability to incorporate predictive analytics and more intelligent decision making for city planning and civil engineers. New Zealand is an excellent example of the renewed emphasis on earthquake monitoring and preparedness. Each year, there are more than 250 significant earthquakes throughout New Zealand, so collecting that data allows scientists to detect, analyze and respond to the seismic activity. As the data is processed, the predictive analytics come into play. Data from these monitoring sites can be used to examine ground movement, which can indicate stress points, and to gauge the probability of an earthquake in the future. Today’s technology now allows all of that data to be transferred in real time from the monitoring sites to the back office, greatly increasing the ability to deploy it into actionable intelligence. In 2011, when Christchurch, New Zealand, was hit with a series of devastating earthquakes and aftershocks – including an aftershock that “produced the highest peak ground accelerations on record” – the recovery effort was basically twofold: how could the city not only rebuild the structures and civic needs, but simultaneously make that infrastructure smarter and more resilient, able to predict and handle future seismic events without the crippling aftereffects. And the truth is, those exact questions are being asked by cities in similar positions on a daily basis. What this all points toward is an evolving ability to synthesize IIoT communications technology, data collection and predictive analytics into a smarter and more resilient infrastructure for areas prone to seismic events. Things that used to fall into the realm of “the future” are now very real and very tangible solutions to nature’s enigmatic temperaments.
IIoT Top News: 2015 News Round-Up
Let’s take a moment and appreciate the excitement 2015 brought for the IIoT: As we look back at the top articles from the year, we were intrigued to learn that cooperative utilities actually have the largest penetration of smart grid meters per percentage of customers, according to Greentech Media and the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It’s interesting to see the largest publicly-owned utility companies in the U.S. are not the leader in deploying smart meter systems. Another topic that caught our eye this year focused on big data initiatives and how they will improve operational efficiencies by the large-scale storage and transfer of volumes of information safely and securely. Companies don’t always see the value in updating information governance policies because there isn’t always a direct reward and no direct penalty for non-compliance. Tim Jennings, Ovum chief research officer, believes as big data continues to grow within the company infrastructure, it is time to consider the security, availability, and time spent storing data. Speaking of Big Data… It is hard to grasp the magnitude of data transferred throughout the cloud. Today, as big data goes to work, it is transforming industrial facilities, and as Forbes states, “they have grown increasingly complex and yes, every machine, every pipeline, every transmission point collects data ready to be read.” Of course, a 2015 news review would not be complete without at least one mention of unmanned systems. Whether the want/need was for industrial, commercial or government applications, the thing on everyone’s mind was how many cool ways this technology could be deployed in the future. While there were many examples to choose from, DARPA certainly caught a lot of attention from its new autonomous submarine-hunting ocean drone. Yes, you read that right! Finally, as we ease our way into 2016, we would like to share the rest of the top technology and IIoT stories from 2015. This year’s round-up highlights articles about: utilities, manufacturing, oil and gas, wireless, big data, security, drones and industry analyst perspectives. Hope you enjoy this week’s roundup, and as always, tell us what we missed! Energy Six Ways IoT Enables Innovation in the Energy Industry (IT World Canada) The energy industry is learning to use IoT to its advantage. IT World Canada details six ways IoT is enabling innovation and improving overall cost and efficiency for the industry. Yogi Schulz with IT World Canada believes that “Applying these IoT advances to a range of energy industry problems will be a major factor in helping the industry return to profitability in the new, lower commodity price environment through innovation based on better data.” Manufacturing Machine Learning (The Economist) As manufacturing becomes digitized, the industry has to adjust from being a product-focused world to a services market, with smart machines installed on the shop floor. The Economist believes that “For many manufacturers—in Germany and beyond—the principal sticking-point in making this digital leap is often cultural.” Manufacturing’s Digital Future (Industry Week) The digital future of manufacturing will incorporate the data analytics, cloud and many other wireless IoT solutions. Industry Week believes “many companies are leveraging interconnectivity to improve their own factory productivity, the factory-floor blocking and tackling of reducing downtime, cutting costs, reducing cycle time, improving OEE, etc.” Oil and Gas In the Digital Oilfield, “No Wires is a No-Brainer (World Oil) With the digital progression of our world, it seems only fitting we would find IoT in the oilfield. The question we must ask is: “Why, in 2015, has wireless I/O not overtaken hardwired infrastructure as the industry standard throughout the OFS sector?” Big Data Internet of Things Transforming Oil and Gas Operations (RigZone) Analytical movement has increased as the cost of oil continues to drop, therefore forcing the oil industry to gravitate toward more big data and IoT. It has been said, “the amount of data generated by oil and gas operations is starting to explode as real-time information from sensors is being collected at a rate of four milliseconds.” Wireless Tech Darpa’s RadioMap Detects RF Spectrum Congestion (GCN) An interconnected connected wireless world has created congested airways, thus making military communication and intelligence gathering requiring radio frequencies be managed. “RadioMap adds value to existing radios, jammers and other RF electronic equipment used by our military forces in the field,” said John Chapin, DARPA program manager. Big Data The Ethics of Big Data (Tech.Co) Big data has been defined as information that has been either unstructured or multi-structured as way to transform data into value. Once you have given value to the data, it is important to realize who owns the data. Tech.CO says that “when it comes to big data ethics, privacy is not necessarily dead, shared information can still have a reasonable degree of confidentially, but big data can still compromise identity and other information that customers and businesses prefer to be confidential.” Security IoT Security Needs to Stop Being an Afterthought (PCR) In the age of smart homes and smart devices it is time to improve the IoT security across the board. The Internet Society (ISOC) recently released a white paper stating, “the vendors who use IoT should take more responsibility for the security issues that can occur with IoT products.” Drones Robo-Bulldozers Guided By Drones Are Helping Ease Japan’s Labor Shortage (The Verge) Komatsu had to find a way to complete construction projects, as Japan gets closer to the 2020 Olympics. The aging population makes it hard to find anyone able to complete the work. The fix Komatsu has found is to offer a service called Smart Construction where, “a team of robotic vehicles scoops rock and pushes dirt without a human behind the wheel. They are guided in their work by a fleet of drones, which map the area in three dimensions and update the data in real time to track how the massive volumes of soil and cement are moving around the site.” Deforestation: British Firm Developing Tree-Planting Drone to Counter Industrial-Scale Logging (The Independent) A British engineering company is hoping to get international backing for an automated tree planting drone system. The purpose of these drone planting fleet’s, would be not
IIoT Top News: IIoT Predictions and Innovations for 2015-2016
As we inch our way closer to the New Year, we would like to take a moment and appreciate some of the technological advancements of 2015, as well as a few bold IIoT predictions for our connected-world enthusiasts. This medley of top news gives credit to our inventiveness, while highlighting a future forecast for IIoT. No matter your place in the world, drones have captured our attention. Precision Ag has changed the way farmers care for crops and animals. So naturally, more and more farmers would be jumping on the drone plan of action. Recently, the FAA has been putting a major kink in the farmer’s right to use drones in farming. The ruling states that if a farmer uses a drone for farm operations in any way, they must file with the FAA for a commercial exemption to use that technology legally. New permanent rules for drone usage could be in place next year from the FAA. So time will tell how the FAA’s ruling will impact the farmers and other commercial drone users in this country. Now it seems every car manufacturing company has grabbed ahold of the terms automation and autonomous. The next generation of cars needs to be self-driven, so the race is on to see what car company will own the rights first. A group in China raises that bar even higher by creating a self-driven car, they claim is operated solely by your mind. Just think one day in the near future you could climb into your car, click your heels together and merely think, “There’s no place like home,” and off the car would zoom. 2015, has been a good year for smart city development here in the U.S., with more than $160 million dollars in governmental funding allocated for this initiative. Gartner predicts that by 2016, the smart cities planned by the government will end up using 1.6 billion connected things. Twenty-four percent of IoT in 2016 will be in commercial security cameras, webcams and indoor LEDs, according to Gartner’s latest prediction. So, with everything becoming connected, IT departments are trying to stress the importance of securing this growing data collection. Don’t get us wrong IT departments are looking forward to the IoT expansion in 2016, but this level of increase in data could have a drastic impact on the networks, which is why IT managers surveyed suggest a new plan of action to combat the overwhelming IoT to the world we all know and love. This week concludes with three main messaging themes gained from this year’s Internet of Things World Forum (IoTWF). First, we must awaken and realize all the competitive advantage IoT can bring to businesses. Next, we must activate a realistic IoT deployment plan that will fit within our business needs. Last, we must accelerate the connection, with the assistance of service providers and developers. The IoT may change the way we function in this world, but the possibility of more innovation at our finger tips fuels our inventive minds forward. Hope you enjoy this week’s focus on IIoT predictions. As always tell us what we missed! Drone Use in Ag Increasing, But Lack of FAA Rules Slowing Technology (Capital Press) For every, good technological advancement there is a level of disruption expected as it thrusts itself into the market place. Drones are quickly becoming the must-have tool for the farming industry yet Capital Press points out that, “the Federal Aviation Administration’s lack of permanent rules for the technology is slowing its development.” Chinese University Develops a Headset That Lets You Drive a Car With Your Mind (Popular Mechanics) Autonomous cars appear to be the wave of the future. A group in China pushed the envelope even further by producing a car powered solely by your mind. They say the inspiration for this forward thinking technology can“bring more benefits to us, since we can better realize functions relating to brain controlling with the help of the driverless cars’ platform.” Smart Cities to Boost Internet of Things Market in 2016: (Gartner Chronicle Daily) The 2015, push for more smart cities is having an equally important impact on the number of connected things. According the Gartner, “The smart cities planned by the government will use almost 1.6 billion of connected things or Internet of Things (IoT) by 2016, an increase of 39 per cent from 2015.” Data Volumes and Network Stress Top IoT Concerns in 2016 (ITPro Portal) A group of IT managers were recently surveyed about the impact all things connected could have in 2016. The department managers stated that, “all this activity adds up to a huge number of devices with the overall average per individual UK organization expected to run into the thousands over the next 12 months. All these devices will be attached to a variety of networks resulting in increased stress on both existing and new networks.” The Internet of Things World Forum 2015 Highlights Three Themes (AME Info) This year’s Internet of Things World Forum highlighted three main themes throughout. The IoTWF focused on, “awaken, activate and accelerate the IoT solutions for your business.”
Guest Post: IHS Predicts IIoT Cybersecurity Will Increasingly Be Implemented in Hardware
By Sam Lucero, Sr. Principal Analyst, M2M & IoT at IHS Technology IIoT & Cybersecurity As IIoT systems create ever more critical dependencies in plant, energy infrastructure, and transportation environments, developers and deploying organizations will turn to hardware-enabled cybersecurity to stave off proliferating cyberattacks. Although the use of secure processors in smartcard applications, such as bank cards, mobile phone SIM cards, and digital ID documents is common, IIoT developers have barely begun to adopt a hardware-enabled approach. Instead, “root of trust” technologies, such as secure key storage, cryptography, and secure boot, are handled in software on the main application processor of the device. IHS estimates that in 2015 only 9.8% of all secure processors shipped were intended for IoT applications (that is, all of IoT, not just IIoT). The challenge with this software-based approach is that security functions on the application processor share common memory resources with other functions and are therefore exposed and vulnerable to malicious attack. Hardware isolation reduces (but cannot completely eliminate) this exposure and therefore dramatically increases the security of the device. This increased security is fundamentally why bankcards, mobile phones, and now ePassports, have shifted to the use of hardware-based security. Looking Ahead A lingering question regarding the use of secure processors in IIoT applications is whether implementation will be in the form of a second coprocessor chip placed alongside the host application processor, or whether cybersecurity hardware intellectual property will be integrated directly into an application processor. (Integration of cybersecurity circuitry still achieves hardware isolation in contrast to software, although some physical security measures may become impractical.) Chip companies such as Atmel, NXP, and Renesas Electronics have adopted this integrated approach for at least some of their respective portfolios targeting the IoT. It remains to be see whether an integrated approach will be successful. While integration helps to reduce overall device bill-of-materials, it can increase cost and complexity for cybersecurity certification, relative to a “two-chip” solution. About Sam Lucero Sam Lucero is a seasoned industry analyst with over 14 years of experience analyzing telecommunications and networking technology markets. He has spent the last ten years assessing the markets for machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Sam has established leading M2M market research programs and managed international teams of industry analysts. He has authored numerous reports, forecast databases, and topical articles covering various aspects of the M2M/IoT market opportunity and has been widely quoted in news and trade journals, from the New York Times and the Economist to CNET and Wireless Week. Furthermore, Sam has moderated, presented, and judged at a number of industry events, including CTIA and Connected World. In 2014 Sam was named one of six “Augural Analysts” for M2M by Connected World Magazine.
IIoT Bold Prediction Series Part 5: Discrete RF Manufacturers Obsolete in Three Years
What a week it has been for the connected world! As we grow closer to the end of 2015, there are plenty of movers and shakers in the IoT space, and for good reason – the excitement around the industry is palpable. In fact, it’s hard to keep a pulse on all the activity as there seems to be innovations occurring daily. Additionally, the IoT provider ecosystem itself continues to grow rapidly as the influx of companies – from device manufacturers and software vendors to IT and Cloud services as well as industry groups and regulators – continue to push the bounds of possibility not just for consumers, but businesses as well. To further add to the end of year developments in IoT, our 2016 IIoT Bold Prediction Series ends the week with a bang – after all, it’s not every day that the CEO of a company predicts the demise of its own industry! However, Kim Niederman, CEO of FreeWave Technologies, is making the bold prediction that discrete Radio Frequency (RF) technology manufacturers will be obsolete within the next three years. Prediction #5: The obsolescence of discrete RF manufacturers will occur by 2019 The catalyst that will drive this change will be the open standards in place that will eventually commoditize the market by bringing backwards compatibility and interoperability between different radio manufacturers. Large chip manufacturers are going to drive physical layer standards, meaning the chipsets themselves are going to be more ubiquitous and will make it increasingly difficult for discrete radio manufacturers to find and capitalize on business opportunities in the marketplace. Companies will continue to drive the adoption of open standards and the concept of the software-defined radio will soon become meaningless. Stay tuned for more on this bold IIoT prediction!
IIoT Bold Prediction Series Part 4: New Networking Protocol Changes IoT Connectivity
Before we move on to the next prediction in our IIoT Predictions series, let’s take a quick look back at the first three: A major security breach of an industrial SCADA system will bring new focus to IoT security. The government will become heavily involved in the regulation of IoT and IIoT devices. Predictive analytics will alter fundamental IT/OT practices. Part of the difficulty in procuring “predictions” for something like the Internet of Things is that the possibilities are truly endless. We know that “IoT” as a concept will increasingly touch on almost every single facet of our daily lives with each passing month, so part of the excitement is being attuned to the new concepts, technologies and thought leaders that seem to pop up near daily. It is an interesting time to be both a creator and user of technology! Today’s prediction, courtesy of Brad Gilbert, director of product management at FreeWave, continues our path toward the more technical side of the Industrial Internet of Things. We know that the technology will continue to progress, but what about the “internet” side of IoT – the enabler of the comprehensive connectivity we’ve come to expect? Prediction #4: Wireless Networking Protocol will Change the Way We Think about IoT Connectivity 802.11ah is a new wireless networking protocol that has the potential to enable a range of connectivity that was previously deemed improbable to obtain – greater sensor connectivity and the potential for even faster data transmission. It is scheduled to be released in mid-2016, and Brad predicts it will garner quick adoption. Here’s the why behind it: 802.11ah Unifies GHz and sub-GHz bands with a Wi-Fi protocol Reduces the need for protocol conversions and gateways Highly congested 2.4GHz band can now be offloaded to either 5GHz or now 900MHz The essence of these features is that they provide a greater diversity for device enablement by offering more networking and frequency band options. The unification of bands reduces the potential for interference and offloads traffic from the 2.4GHz band that is used for wide-range networking needs. 802.11ah Addresses long range communication and battery operation not met with existing 802.11 standards Much needed for IIoT applications, especially those in remote and hazardous locations Better RF propagation than 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency bands In conjunction with band unification, the new protocol will enable the extension of high-speed connectivity to rural areas without overloading cell tower traffic. It will allow devices to use less battery power by predetermining wake and doze times, and by incorporating relay access points, it will allow networking stations to transmit data more quickly, reducing the overall wake time. Chipset availability The availability of chipsets (specifically SoC technology) will enhance data transmission even further by better managing integrated components and data flow to and from different networks and IoT enabled devices. What’s next? So far, most IIoT devices have been built with traditional band usage in mind. Introducing a new and efficient networking protocol will allow for a greater diversification of device capabilities, as well as a proliferation of sensor networks at a scale that would be unachievable with current standards.
IIoT Bold Prediction Series Part 3: Predictive Analytics Alters Fundamental IT/OT Practices
So far, our series of IIoT Bold Predictions for 2016 has focused on the concepts of IIoT security and government’s regulatory role in the development of IoT and IIoT devices. Today, we’re changing gears a bit, with a prediction from Scott Allen, FreeWave’s CMO, which focuses on the implementation of IIoT technology into big data practices to create real-time, data-driven intelligence. Prediction #3: Predictive Analytics Alters Fundamental IT/OT Practices Predictive analytics will change the nature of industrial communication systems and networks significantly over the next five years. Certain industrial sectors have long utilized machine-to-machine (M2M) technology, like manufacturing, utilities, and oil and gas, as the backbone to operations technology. However, as IIoT communication technology continues to improve at a rapid pace, these industries will begin implementing tech and business practices designed to create data synergy that will ultimately provide predictive analytics for better decision making. There are two elements at work that will push predictive analytics to the forefront of industrial communication systems. The first is the advancement of technology. Big data companies are making serious progress with comparing data-at-rest with data-in-motion as a strong basis for predicting outcomes with maximum accuracy. As the network infrastructure advances at the access layer in ways that allow analytic applications to be executed locally while communicating globally this trend will do nothing but accelerate. The second element that will drive change is the retiring or soon to be retiring workforce that drove the implementation and use of SCADA networks. This will create a knowledge gap that will require new technology to fill – and predictive analytics will be the one that fills that gap. Although an aging workforce is not unique to the IIoT sector, the transition will be pronounced and could, without incorporating predictive analytics practices, be accompanied by some significant growing pains. Looking Ahead Sensor-2-Server (S2S) technology will begin to ease the synergy between IIoT technology and big data. Ensuring accurate data transmission, collection and analysis in critical industries is an important step along the path to a connected world. As S2S technology proliferates, companies will see a significant impact on IT and OT practices, along with the ability to converge those two silos into more efficient and streamlined decision-making.
IIoT Bold Prediction Series Part 2: Government Regulations Coming
Yesterday, we kicked the 2016 IIoT Bold Prediction Series off with a bang! As a nice follow-up, and second iteration of the series, Tim Mester, Principal Engineer of Advanced Technology at FreeWave, presents his Industrial IoT bold prediction: Prediction #2: Government Regulations Coming for IoT and IIoT Devices Due to a major security breach or reliability failure in connected devices or systems used in the Industrial IoT space, governments will be compelled to create and enforce new regulations on all IoT (and IIoT) devices, much like what is happening with the drone industry. (Note: IoT security breaches are not unheard of, as pointed out in this recent article by Bill Montgomery and Glenn Longley’s latest prediction as the first part of the bold prediction series.) But, like drones, the barrier to entry into the IoT space has been lowered by improvements in technology. For IoT/IIoT devices, it is by the proliferation of a low power “system on chip” technology (SoC) and platforms like the Beagle Bone, Raspberry Pi and Arduino. Also, the Open Source software that is available allows developers to quickly pull products together based on these inexpensive SoC’s. Now that we can quickly have these products, how do those procuring these know that they are secure? How do they know they will be reliable and will not fail in mission critical applications? Companies that are already experienced in the M2M and IIoT space understand these issues and concerns. They take the necessary steps to ensure that they can deliver secure and robust devices to their customers. But what about the new comers? The ones that took the easy route? The ones who do not have the experience in this space? Looking Ahead As IoT/IIoT data and control becomes more sensitive and critical, concern will grow concerning the robustness of all of these devices that our lives are becoming dependent on. I believe that we will see a surge of government regulations that mandate the levels of security and reliability for IoT and IIoT devices. We are already seeing the beginning of these types of government regulations being mandated in some critical infrastructure industries and this will only perpetuate. In smart grid projects, for example, operators must take into consideration the cybersecurity reliability standards which FERC oversees. This helps operators choose a more cyber-hardened technology. On the other hand, for industries that do not have these standards in place yet, there remains a tradeoff between “secure” and “easy-to-use.” When strong cybersecurity has not been mandated, people tend to avoid the “harder-to-use” option that is typically more secure.
Announcing the 2016 IIoT Bold Prediction Series!
The year 2015 is soon coming to an end as the year 2016 looks to be ushering in exciting new ways in which the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing our way of life. It’s easy to see these transformations taking shape on the consumer side (home automation, smart appliances, connected cars, personal computers, smart devices, etc.), but what will 2016 hold for the Industrial IoT (IIoT) space? (Note: Go here for a quick rundown on the difference between consumer IoT and industrial IoT) 2016 IIoT Bold Prediction Series As stated in our introductory blog post (Are We All on the Same Industrial IoT WaveLength?), we at FreeWave Technologies are thrilled for the future of the IIoT and what it means for the entire business ecosystem. That is why we are excited to present the “connected world” community with a bold prediction in IIoT each day this week – aptly named the 2016 IIoT Bold Prediction Series! We of course encourage everyone to contribute your perspectives and experiences – whether in response to our predictions or a submission of your own – to help advance the dialogue around the emergence of the industrial internet. Our first bold prediction in the series comes from Glenn Longley, Regional Manager of Energy Markets at FreeWave: Prediction #1: Major Security Breach of Industrial SCADA System Brings New Focus to IoT According to Longley, “There will be a major security breach of an industrial SCADA system in 2016, which will drive industrial organizations to shift more of a focus on IoT and newer, more secure communication systems.” If you may not already know, cyber attacks against supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are not new. In fact, Homeland Security Magazinereported earlier this year that “Cyber attacks against industrial targets—including power plants, factories and refineries—increased 100 percent in the past year, according to a new study conducted by computer technology company Dell.” Additionally, IT World Canada reported on a new InfoSec survey by the SANS Institute in 2015 where, “Both the degree of uncertainty and the rising number of known incidents are red flags calling for the dedication of greater resources to monitoring, detecting and analyzing anomalous activity in control system networks.” The survey also found that only 65 percent said vendor qualification of security technologies and solutions to be either highly important or mandatory. So with a proliferation of new cyber attacks seemingly happening more frequently, Longley explains how this widespread issue will impact IoT adoption in industrial businesses in the coming years: “Each company is different in how it handles the influx of IoT and the resulting IT/ OT convergence. With the merging/blending of Information Technology (IT) and Operations Technology (OT), the firewall that separates the two becomes more complicated and less well-defined. Traditionally, each was a separate entity; however, with IP-enabled devices and blending of technologies in enterprise networks, that dividing line becomes less clear. IT and OT professionals themselves might put a different emphasis on security, but in 2016, the two will need to come together (more than ever before) to prioritize security in their quest to create end points for all of their field assets. Therefore, security will ultimately be the limiting factor on how much IIoT is deployed.”