IoT is an obvious opportunity from a monitoring and management perspective, but this blog takes a deeper look at the key current talking point: IoT security.
Some IoT systems are about improving customer service, like the smart busses which can tell customers how many seats are available on board. Others are revenue generating, – such as the parking meters at Marseille Provence Airport, where being out of action impacts the bottom line Others are critical to productivity such as the machinery on a factory floor.
Whatever the function for the IoT device, the basic rule applies – the more of them there are, the more opportunity exists for things to go wrong. So, it’s all an opportunity from a monitoring and management perspective, but this blog takes a deeper look at the current hot topic: security.
The management headaches surrounding IoT aren’t just about knowing what needs monitoring and managing, it’s also about what needs securing. As more and more devices come online, there are more and more ways for hackers to gain access to vulnerable networks. The US retailer ‘Target’ lost millions of customer records through an attack which originated from its Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) vendor. Paradoxically, the devices brought into Smart Cities to make citizens feel more safe, like CCTV cameras and door sensors, could themselves prove to be a threat to their data privacy!
How can MSPs position their services in this growing market?
Proactive monitoring could be seen as offering a level of security managed service by calling out specific kinds of monitoring. For example:
- Alerting on specific events Windows event logs that are commensurate with security-related activities
- Alerting on activities on firewalls
- Alerting on out of date ant-virus definitions
- Alerting on the creation of new user accounts within Active Directory (which could be a valid activity, but worth checking for context)
