Internet of Things is a world of its own with all the living and non-living objects having sensors and monitors that transmit data through wireless. IoT can be used to automate and monitor almost everything imaginable. “When we talk about IoT in context with enterprises, there is a new layer of complexity all together. This complexity is involved especially in reference to data centers daily monitoring and management of devices. In an enterprise environment, IoT can be used for numerous purposes such as fleet management, remote asset management, healthcare-related monitoring devices, oil pipeline monitoring sensors, and smart metering amongst others,” says Prashant Gupta, Head of solutions South East Asia & INDIA - Verizon Enterprise Solutions.
The Indian government is undertaking initiatives including policies and regulatory framework development (India’s first Internet of Things policy framework was released in October, 2014), driving solutions development (and deployment) in partnership with private industry players (Smart City and Smart Grid projects) and creating the IoT market in India.
[Prashant Gupta, Head of solutions South East Asia & INDIA - Verizon Enterprise Solutions shares with VARINDIA of how IoT is slowly evolving in the country and what does Verizon has in its booty to offer to its Indian customers. An excerpt -]
Security concerns with IoT While Internet of Things is still in its nascent stage in India, issues such as security and performance still need to be addressed. “The major security concerns that IoT users or consumers face is the security of their personal data provided by them. IoT devices collect, store, transmit, aggregate and analyze massive amounts of data. If properly protected, the data and the devices can make life easier. If not, it can become a nightmare. Thus, when developing any IoT strategy, it is important to look critically at what information the Internet of Things device is collecting, and how it will be used. It is important to look at how the information can be abused or misused as well. Additionally, the lack of an updated infrastructure also adds to the failure of security in these devices,” points out Prashant.
However, with the proliferation of Internet of Things, it is expected that vendors will be preferring usability over security. Though there is awareness on the malware attacks targeting these new connected gadgets, IT security practitioners remain unsure of the correct amount of acceptable risk.
