The widespread use of IoT devices at home, in enterprises, and in the workplace has been met with mixed reactions. The various innovations and several benefits of the inter-connected world have invited attackers to continuously engineer new exploits and techniques to circumvent the IoT security networks.
Regardless of the threats, and for all the good reasons, businesses, large and small, have decided to deploy IoT solutions and edge devices on their Network. Cloud computing is one of the technologies that has grown over the years. However, Cloud managed networking is notorious for creating intrusion points.
This has led to the use of IoT edge devices (entry points), where you bring cloud computing capabilities to local devices to ensure quick, smart access to data and enhanced security.
Securing IoT and Edge Devices
While IoT applications expect high-end security protection, this isn’t always guaranteed. Insufficient security design, resource constraints, and the complex world of cloud computing with constantly changing security threats make it difficult to design a one-size-fits-all solution.
To solve this security concern, there are several tools available to detect attacks at the entry points and block cyber-attacks. These solutions include spam filters, firewall, and antimalware and cloud managed software subscriptions from the hardware provider. However, each of these should be customized to suit the various application and mode of deployment.
Another technology that has been in the market for nearly two decades is the Intrusion Detection System (IDS), which despite its shortcomings in recent years, continues to play a vital role in the cybersecurity space.
Why Intrusion Detection still Matters
According to a MarketWatch report, the IoT security market will see a 32.5% CAGR over the next five years, where the global market size will reach US$ 35.9 Trillion by 2024. From an economics perspective, the IoT industry isn’t going to reinvent the wheel; rather, it demands an effective and efficient IDS that integrates with the existing security architectures such as Zero-Trust to offer a better client and customer experience.
That said, traditional network-based IDS are increasingly becoming inefficient for detecting the new and evolving forms of cyber-attacks. This is why modern intrusion detection techniques have become more robust and include “behavior-based” models. New categories of products in this field are also entering the market, for example, network traffic analysis, metadata extraction tools, and flow analysis, all meant to fix the IDS loopholes and ensure rapid detection and response.
IoT Edge Software and Hardware Challenges: Choosing the Right Vendor
When it comes to IoT deployments, for example, in the industrial sector, the protocol support for data ingestion is a crucial selection criterion. This is where you can test security capabilities, such as data encryption, authentication, and protection. The edge system’s ability to support limited or intermittent connectivity between the edge device and the cloud is another plus. Integration options available, such as integrating with systems like manufacturing execution systems (MES) and inventory and supply chain management, enhance the systems’ functionality and versatility.
Securing your IoT deployment starts with the right choice of software and hardware components. And since security in itself is a journey and not an endpoint, you need to continually update your devices to ensure the highest levels of protection.
That said, choosing the right secure hardware for your IoT deployment requires an in-depth understanding of what you are protecting, which you can evaluate through a thorough risk assessment. Other things to keep in mind are the logistical considerations such as deployment and tactical concerns like maintainability.
Closing Comments
If you are interested in deploying edge IoT devices to transform your organization or business operations, working with our IoT integration team will make the work easier for you. We will listen to your unique needs and requirements and use them to drive architecture, design, and development strategies to give you the best product with high-end security capabilities.
