If you thought the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) experience was a challenge for companies, brace yourself.
The mid-2000s brought waves of heterogeneous, non-sanctioned devices into the network. By 2009, workers had made it clear that they preferred BYOD, as CIOs began feeling the pressure of personal devices flooding the workplace. The result has been the creation of so-called "shadow IT" -- projects (applications and systems) managed outside of, and without the knowledge of, the IT department. The BYOD phenomenon went hand in hand with the adoption of non-sanctioned, cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) applications to address a line of business needs.
While the new tools were helping employees get work done, managing the performance and security of these devices on networks became a daunting task, straining the IT infrastructure and security teams. Moreover, IT couldn’t adequately support the resources because they were out of scope.
In come new internet of things (IoT) devices with line-of-business groups acting on their own. As if the whipsaw effect of combining these challenges isn’t bad enough, IoT efforts are typically driven by strategic business imperatives. Meanwhile, IoT security looms large as a big inhibitor to adoption.
According to a report by Bain & Company, enterprises are open to the idea of buying more IoT devices if their fears over cybersecurity risks are alleviated (on average, at least 70% more than what they might buy if their concerns remain unresolved).
BYOD On Steroids
The emergence of new IoT devices within organizations is effectively BYOD on steroids. Electronic robots on the manufacturing floor, patient telemetry systems in hospitals, electronic scanning systems in retail environments, 3D printers for prototyping and Smart TVs in conference rooms are only a few of the new headless devices that are flooding corporate networks everywhere.
Unlike traditional laptop computers and smartphones, these new enterprise IoT devices are often characterized as operational technology (OT) because they are typically directly tied to the goals of a specific line of business.
These OT systems are increasingly relying on IT infrastructure and services, thus increasing the overlap of skills for managing the two and justifying the need for greater IT involvement. Enabling IT and OT to work together to maximize business efficiency is one of the big new chores for IT professionals. Organizational and cultural barriers and conflicting objectives between IT and OT groups add to the challenges.
IoT devices finding their way onto corporate networks behave and interact with the network differently than conventional computers, operating with little to no human intervention. Essential to their adoption is the ability to manage the performance and security of these new systems and their interaction with the network to ensure optimal operation while minimizing the risk to the enterprise.
The Promise Of Enterprise IoT
IoT and the promise of instrumenting the enterprise with smart connected devices can help organizations improve efficiencies, develop new products and even redefine business boundaries. Major companies will be reimagined or disrupted when IoT is properly used in business transformation.
Similar to how we've seen IoT operate in homes and retail businesses, it is possible for a machine used to assemble a product in the workplace to notice it is running low of a given sub-component and automatically initiate the resupply of that part. What’s more, if the stockroom is running low on the piece, then the supply chain can kick in and initiate an order with an external supplier and then track the shipment all the way to the destination and note where the part is warehoused.
In hospitals, wireless bedside monitors and infusion pumps, among other things, are quickly becoming critical for clinicians and are increasingly connected to the enterprise network. And in the manufacturing sector, the industrial internet of things (IIoT) is changing the way production lines operate.
Realizing the full potential of IoT now requires a more holistic approach to planning that involves IT from the onset versus introducing IoT on the fly and expecting IT to deal with unintended consequences, like systems that don’t perform over the network as expected, hard-to-explain application performance issues and new data security risks.
IoT Puts Business On The Line
More often than not, IT involvement is an afterthought. However, since IoT efforts are sanctioned by different business units, strategic outcomes that allow business to drive more revenue or stay ahead of their competitors are on the line. This puts IT in the crosshairs struggling to cope with the operational headaches of new corporate initiatives where the IT implications weren’t properly thought through.
Fortunately, there is a path forward that will allow one to deal with the deluge of IoT devices without overhauling infrastructure or fighting through restrictions. The big question becomes, how can companies simply keep track of all these devices and ensure their reliable operation, performance and risk posture?
A New Perspective Needed
When it comes to IoT, organizations must take a new approach to understanding exactly what's going on inside their networks.
• The first big step is to automate the identification of IoT devices. While that may sound simple, it's not. The use and application of new artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to categorize what's running on the network and where these devices are hiding is essential.
• Next, organizations need to develop specific policies that dictate what these devices can and cannot do as well as well as restricting their ability to electronically talk with other devices outside the company.
• Finally, companies must have a clear strategy to automatically secure IoT devices when they violate a policy or behave abnormally. This can involve some very sophisticated network segmentation.
Because IT staff can't install software agents on these devices, the key to getting this all done is predicated on the use of existing network data already flying across the network but not being scrutinized.
While the flood of new IoT devices across the enterprise is poised to produce greater efficiencies, getting a tighter grip on the performance, operation and security is essential to reaping the benefits.
