The technology research firm Gartner reports that there will be approximately 21 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020. These devices range from completely benign to essential and everywhere in between. As a result, it would behoove you to know exactly how this computing trend is going to affect your business today, and into the future.
The fact is that you are sure to have some IoT devices already on your network. Whether it be something simple such as an employee’s fitness band, or something significant to the sustainability of your organization, like your heating and cooling systems; near ubiquitous connectivity is here. This technology can provide many benefits, but comes, like any system that’s rife with benefits, with risk. The risk is largely found through foreign software deployment on your network, and can have dire consequences if left unmanaged.
Many of these devices are special in that they communicate with other devices. This is what drives much of the IoT technology, and presents most of the risk. If a device is connected to your business’ network, and can communicate with other devices through that network, it may unwittingly or deliberately share corporate information with those other devices. This makes your network security vulnerable to any number of issues, and while a vast majority of these issues don’t actively put your data at risk, the ones that do can quickly become a full fledged problem.
To mitigate data leakage through Internet of Things supported devices, it’s essential that you understand how to properly administer the deployment of data to these devices. It’s obvious that you cannot just let anyone connect devices to your network, so what are your options?
First, a mobile device management solution can help control which mobile devices can have access to your network and what information they can access if they are allowed on. Secondly, using this management platform, you can design and implement a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy for your organization’s network. This will allow employees to use their own technology in a manner that helps them stay productive, while securing your network from threats such as malware, hackers, and more.
With a mobile device management solution and a BYOD policy in place, you can successfully protect the integrity of your organization’s network, data, and security profile. To learn more about how to manage the risk that Internet of Things devices inherently bring to your network, reach out to us today at (215) 853-2266.
