Security MEA speaks to Nicolai Solling, the CTO at Help AG, about the advantages of IoT deployment, the challenges involved, the part government plays in the overall deployment and the way forward
Do you believe enterprises to SMBs are wanting to pull together hybrid solutions to deliver the promise of cloud and take advantage of new technologies?
There is no doubt that there is a lot of interest in utilizing these areas, but I think the region has been impacted by the fact that it is very rarely the basis of the technology is available locally. Cloud compute is a good example: Most organizations can see the benefits, but they are unwilling to move the data out of the country.
As the major cloud players are not here, we have limited adoption. With IoT we will have the same issue at least at the beginning that the services will not be created locally and there are therefore issues adopting the same.
Is this region ready for mass deployment of IoT infrastructure?
I think adoption rate of IoT will vary from organization to organization as there are a number of consideration that impact uptake. First of all, the service needs to make sense. While it is imperative that CEOs and CIOs within organizations focus on how they can innovate in their business, it won’t always hold true that IoT is the only way they can innovate. What is unique about IoT is that it is not necessarily trying to invent new problems, but tries to solve or optimize how we do things.
Another very important aspect is the integrity and availability of the service. The minute you start to integrate with the day to day life of people the services always need to be available. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, security. Businesses need to think about the data they are storing, how they are ensuring it is safe. IoT services needs to be built with security in mind, as any failure to deliver the same can cause a huge impact to the reputation of a service.
What sort of opportunities do vendors and their channel partners have in terms of deployment of IoT solutions?
Cisco Systems conducted research on this topic and forecast that IoT will generate $2 Trillion as an industry within the next decade. This is a staggering number which clearly presents tremendous business opportunities.
The channel in particular stands to benefit as a fundamental element of IoT is value-addition. IoT isn’t just about sophisticated technology but rather about the innovative ways in which technology can be used to better conduct business. Here channel partners can step in, understand customer needs and act as the trusted advisor that designs and implements the IoT solution that is unique to the requirements of the customer.
This allows the channel to compete on technical competency rather than on hardware margins so those that have invested in developing the right skill sets and proficiency will gain the competitive advantage. Specifically for a company like Help AG our opportunity in IoT is to assist our clients in dealing with some of the very serious security concerns around IoT covering integrity and availability of the services.
What advantages can deployment of IoT solutions bring about on the market? Are regional governments at the forefront of shaping up such an initiative?
Up until now the IoT market has very much been driven by consumer products, and there is no doubt that the general technology level and adoption of new technology here in the Middle East is as high, if not higher than anywhere else in the world.
That said, we see some very large and innovative commercial IoT projects coming up – DEWA last year announced that all of Dubai’s power grid will become a smart grid, with up to the minute monitoring of consumption and other key metrics.
In Europe some of the food authorities have started monitoring temperatures of coolers in restaurants and supermarkets utilizing IP based probes – Thereby increasing accuracy and lowering the effort of performing this vital check.
What sort of challenges are involved in terms of understanding and acceptance of IoT solutions?
IoT relies on sensors that record and transmit data. This data is then used by the services, which then deliver value to the end-user. There are a number problems with this. First of all, the data you are giving off: Is that fit for a third party to have, and where is it stored? Is the service in itself secure? What is my IoT provider doing to keep the data safe?
Then another issue around IoT is the vast number of sensors that are involved. We are talking about as many as 50 billion sensors by 2020. Most, if not all, of these sensors will be cheap, low cost devices- a major factor as they have to be as there are so many of them. When you buy a 7USD smart power plug how much security do you then think they were able to design into the hardware?
Another problem is the software: IoT devices uses software like any other device on the internet. Some of them with generic operating systems like embedded Linux – How do you patch 50 billion devices in case of a general vulnerability, like what we saw with Heartbleed in OpenSSL?
And finally, there is the service provider themselves? Are they trustworthy and how could an organization verify this? I am absolutely certain that the same way we have rogue applications in Appstores, we will see rogue IoT service providers.
Of course, all of these questions are really interesting for companies such as Help AG as we focus entirely on information- and cyber security. For the same reason, we believe that IoT holds a strong business opportunity for us.
Does the market need to invest in developing a workforce for the digital age prior to mass deployment of IoT infrastructure?
In the industry, we have a term called “Kodak Moments”. Originally a tag line from a Kodak commercial in the 80’s, but in more recent years, it refers to the point where people went from print pictures to digital pictures and Kodak was left with the greatest product in the world, but no one wanted it. They simply failed to innovate in the area – just anecdotally, Kodak actually did invent the digital camera in the 90’s they just thought no one would ever use it!
Businesses today will find themselves with the Kodak moment if there is someone who can deliver the service smarter or better than they can today. Therefore, it is imperative that CEOs and CIOs within organizations focus on how they can innovate in their business. I am not saying that IoT is the only way they can innovate, but when mass adoption takes off, those that have no prepared themselves will struggle to play catch up.
Security is one of the major concerns in terms of IoT solutions. How can this be addressed?
To address the security concerns related to IoT, we must first be aware of them. In its simplest sense, IoT relies on sensors that record and transmit data. This data is then used by the services, which then deliver value to the end-user.
There are a number problems with this. First of all, the data you are giving off: Is that fit for a third party to have, and where is it stored? Is the service in itself secure? What is my IoT provider doing to keep the data safe?
Then another issue around IoT is the vast number of sensors that are involved. We are talking about as many as 50 billion sensors by 2020. Most, if not all, of these sensors will be cheap, low cost devices- a major factor as they have to be as there are so many of them. When you buy a 7USD smart power plug how much security do you then think they were able to design into the hardware?
Another problem is the software: IoT devices uses software like any other device on the internet. Some of them with generic operating systems like embedded Linux – How do you patch 50 billion devices in case of a general vulnerability, like what we saw with Heartbleed in OpenSSL?
And finally, there is the service provider themselves? Are they trustworthy and how could an organization verify this? I am absolutely certain that the same way we have rogue applications in Appstores, we will see rogue IoT service providers.
Of course, all of these questions are really interesting for companies such as Help AG as we focus entirely on information- and cyber security. For the same reason, we believe that IoT holds a strong business opportunity for us.
It is very interesting to see some of the movements around specifically consumer IoT devices such as TV’s. The recent wiki leaks highlights how a smart TV can be used as a spy camera and microphone, even if turned off.
For the first time in many years I now hear in casual conversations that people are starting to question if the smart TV is so smart after all? Or what about your voice recognition on your phone or Alexa. In the age of hacking and cybercrime there is really deep concerns, not just from us the professionals, but also the actual consumer that is buying the tech.