But we need to make sure that such an assessment includes evaluating any and every connected device. Which is why it's important to bring in an IT expert regularly to do a complete assessment of our network security. So how do we, as business owners, address this problem? The only tactic is just to stay ahead of it. Related: Why Did The BBC Send Their Staff to a Course On How to Drink Water? 'In the past, cybersecurity was focused on IT assets like servers and workstations, but the increased connectivity of systems requires that industrial security professionals expand their understanding of what's in their environment. 'The industrial sector is facing a new set of challenges when it comes to securing a converged IT-OT environment,' Tim Erlin, vice president of product management and strategy at security firm Tripwire, told Security Info Watch. And unfortunately, many of us aren't aware of the risks. That's because many of them aren't equipped with the kinds of security protections seen in laptops, servers, phones and tablets. It's kind of a buzzkill.īut all of these connected devices are creating an enormous opportunity for hackers. Because no one wants to see dead fish when gambling away their life savings. And yes, even the temperature of fish tanks in a casino. Elevator-maker ThyssenKrupp is creating 'smart buildings' by connecting their individual lifts to monitoring stations around the world in order to warn of any potential problems.Ĭonnected devices are helping us track the status of deliveries, the hydration of golf courses and the optimal flow of water through pumping stations. Rolls Royce, for example, is using IoT-connected airplane engines to report back performance data on the fly.

This is a good thing, because the 'smarter' you make these objects, the more information we can glean from them to ward off issues and optimize their use. So much so that by 2025 some analysts predict that there will be as many as 31 billion connected devices worldwide. These objects are being equipped with sensors and then connected back to networks, databases and communication systems.

These are elevators, engines, machinery, trucks, phones, sprinkler systems, inventory and, yes, even fish-tank thermometers.

And no, I'm not talking about members of Congress. Maybe you've heard of IoT, but in case you haven't it's easily explained.

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