Most IT Professionals Hold IoT Related Security And Privacy Concerns
IT professionals are having kittens when it comes to the security of the Internet of Things [IoT] with 86 per cent admitting to believing the new breed of devices will create security and privacy issues.
A study entitled “The Devices are Coming” carried out by Spiceworks found that just 63 per cent are investing in security solutions to make the IoT safer for the business in question and preparation will be essential to making sure it is a success.
“The data technology trends we’ve seen emerge over the past few years, like BYOD, coupled with the IoT will have a dramatic impact on how IT professionals do their jobs,” said Kathryn Pribish, Voice of IT program manager at Spiceworks. “IT professionals understand the inevitability of the IoT but the reality is, though the impact will be gradual, resource-strained IT departments and others who haven’t jumped on the IoT bandwagon will be playing catch-up if they don’t adequately prepare.”
Of those IT professionals asked, 71 per cent think the IoT will affect both consumers and the workforce and even though this is true, 59 per cent are not actively preparing for the impact it may have on business.
Among the IT firms that are preparing, 68 per cent are investing in hardware infrastructure, 63 per cent are buying security solutions, and 55 per cent are expanding bandwidth to accommodate Internet-connected “things”.
In terms of employees, 69 per cent stated that their company already supports two or more devices per employee and 61 per cent expressed an expectation that the number of connected will rise over the coming five years. Worryingly, upwards of a quarter admitted to not knowing how the company will eventually end up managing the larger number of newly connected “things”.
When it comes to coping, 43 per cent admitted that the new devices will be given a separate network in the office whereas 23 per cent expect to put new “things” on the corporate network.
Spiceworks carried out the study in April 2014 with the survey covering 440 respondents across North America and EMEA.
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