The much-anticipated Internet of Things explosion is gathering pace, according to a recent survey by Tech Pro Research, with many businesses incorporating connected devices into their BYOD plans.
The study, titled “BYOD, Wearables and IoT: Strategies, Security, Satisfaction,” found that 67 percent of companies are either already using IoT devices, or planning to use them in the next year.
Broadly speaking, company attitudes towards BYOD have changed little over the previous twelve months, but on a more granular level, workplace devices are beginning to diversify.
IoT devices are already in use within 32 percent of organisations and another 35 percent have plans in place to introduce them to the workplace. A broad spectrum of industries, including manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and many others, all stand to benefit from IoT adoption, but this technology is not without its challenges.
One of the most likely ways that IoT devices can detract from a business is by introducing security vulnerabilities. The Strategy Analytics 2016 IoT Security Threats and Trends Survey, also released last week, identified that both internal and external threats rank high on the list of IoT security concerns.
End-user carelessness was found to be the biggest risk, identified by 56 per cent of respondents, with malware in second (42 percent) and spyware third (32 percent). A lack of corporate preparation and cyber-attacks by company insiders was also highlighted.
Tony Anscombe, senior security evangelist at AVG Technologies told Internet of Business that the growth of IoT devices opens up the possibility of personal data being stolen or misused.
“The challenge for us lies in understanding what devices are connected, why they’re connected and what they might be sharing about us,” he said.
“Knowing all this may seem daunting as the number of data-collecting devices increases, but it is essential if we are to negate the undesirable implications posed by living in a connected world. Paramount is employee education – organisations need to adopt the approach of users first, then devices, ensuring workers are aware of the dangers.”
The Internet of Things is sure to be a disruptive technology, but this does not appear to be putting off many businesses. Organisations must ensure that they carry out due diligence before adopting new technologies, however, to ensure that they create more business benefits than problems.