Businesses are increasingly relying on the Internet of Things (IoT) not only as a means to push services to users, but as a means to maintain connections with employees, partners, contractors, and even competitors. But there is growing concern that organizations are rushing to reap the rewards of IoT without fully understanding the risks and taking steps to address fundamental security challenges.
If the past few years have shown anything, it's that our data and critical systems are vulnerable to theft and manipulation. Organizations that do not take bold steps to protect user privacy and ensure systems operate in a protected environment risk not only severe business loss and reputational damage, but also civil and even criminal penalties.

Harshit Agarwal, CEO of Appknox, said that given this busy environment, now is the perfect time to build a dynamic and flexible IoT security regime. The longer this process takes, the harder it becomes for organizations to see what needs to be protected, let alone do so in an effective and efficient manner. First, organizations should ensure that existing IoT platforms provide appropriate encryption, data management, privacy, and other capabilities to provide robust services without putting data or users at risk. And since many IoT devices will be located outdoors, they must be hardened against the elements, as well as theft and tampering.

One thing is certain about IoT security: failure is not an option. We're already at the point where IoT provides critical connectivity for a variety of critical life support functions -- everything from self-driving cars to pacemakers. If these devices are compromised, people die; it's that simple. We have to ask, if IoT security is so important, (and it is) then why does it fail time and time again? Looking at enterprise IoT deployments today, it seems that the same fundamental mistakes are being repeated over and over again.

It's a sad comment for the IT industry that security has traditionally been an afterthought. As legacy data infrastructures have been compromised in recent years, it would be grossly negligent to unleash a whole new data ecosystem in the world only to find it easy prey for cybercriminals seeking to profit from the suffering of others. It's also important to remember that IoT security is not a hole-in-one sport. It requires vigilance from information security teams and business stakeholders to ultimately serve their interests by protecting corporate data.