Internet of Things: Security, Hardware and the Community

Technology has always been fascinating and progressive. The strongest evolution that one has seen with respect to technology is the internet. Over the last two decades, the internet has evolved from a static repository of interlinked documents to a dynamic universe of humans, machines and applications.

The next big step in the evolution of internet is the Internet of Things. It is fascinating how IoT has become a game changer in the field of healthcare, connecting homes and cities, ground transportation and several other previously unexplored domains.
But, from a technical point of view, IoT is very challenging. There are multiple things that make it a lot more complex than it sounds. From hardware design to embedded software, internet scale servers and most importantly ground breaking user experience, it’s an immense challenge to master all of these. Along with this comes a critical constraint; security.

Internet of Secure/Insecure Things

There is no doubt that the Internet of Things has already started giving rise to real-world applications. But what generally puts a full stop to the discussions about IoT is; trust. The world of IoT is an entirely different set of scale and complexities. So to create a foundation of trust namely security and privacy has been difficult. Some of the common fears for business today when it comes to diving into the pool of IoT is; a billion points of vulnerability, trust and data integrity and data collection, protection and privacy.

So what is being done to secure the IoT?

The IoT security issues which was previously ignored has now become an issue of high concern and utmost importance. Several measures are being taken to gap the holes and prevent security breaches at the device level. The IoT security issue has given rise to new alliances. There is a conglomeration of leading tech firms that will be responsible for vetting internet connected devices vulnerability and flaws. Thus, by creating a dedicated focus on security, it can drive excellence in the IoT industry.

The Hardware moment and Internet of Things

With the evolution and revolution in the internet space and the Internet of Things promising to make everything intelligent and networked, the barrier between virtual and real are falling. Hardware is becoming an agile discipline and it’s getting easier to create physical products. As the IoT market grows, there will be more investment and as hardware matures there will improved security at our dispense.
All hardware will be made smarter through not just the use of connected chipsets and next-generation parts but rather through all the applications that add to their value.

The Internet of Things Community

The Internet of Things is emerging as an unprecedented opportunity for several players in
communication, information technology and consumer electronics industries. A lot of futurists
have talked about intelligent refrigerators and smart cars for the last few years, there is no doubt
that today, the market and technology have converged and are making the IoT a concrete business
opportunity.
Gradually all of us are being welcomed to the era of Internet of Things, where digitally connected
devices are encroaching every aspect of our lives that includes our homes, work, cars etc. While
security is definitely an issue to be addressed, the upside is that we have entered a world where we
are able to do things we previously imagined impossible.
Internet of Things has become rather a big deal, a symptom of a general trend moving innovation
to the edge, to the entrepreneurs, to the developing world and to a much more democratic system.