Week In Tech: IoT Security Spending, Spiceworks & Drones
Does the future of IoT security lie in the Cloud? New research published suggested that security spending is set to take off.
If the latest research from Gartner is to be believed, security spending on the Internet of Things (IoT) is set to accelerate in 2016. The figure could well top $348m in 2016, meaning an increase of 23.7 per cent compared to $281.5m in 2015.
Research director Ruggero Contu, commented that the current IoT security market is small, but ripe for growth, as both businesses and consumers migrate towards smart and networked devices.
“Gartner forecasts that 6.4 billion connected things will be in use worldwide in 2016, up 30 per cent from 2015, and will reach 11.4 billion by 2018. However, considerable variation exists among different industry sectors as a result of different levels of prioritisation and security awareness,” he said.
Looking further afield, Gartner predicts that spending could rise to as much as $547m in 2018. This assumes that IoT adoption continues to gather at this same increased pace. These figures assume a march towards connected cars, heavy trucks, commercial aircraft, farming and construction equipment.
With more and more transport and equipment becoming part of the connected world, Gartner say that cyber attacks stemming from IoT will amount to 25 per cent by 2020. A lot more clearly needs to be done because as it stands IoT security spending accounts for only 10 per cent of IT budgets.
What can IT do then to better prepare itself for the connected future? Contu says we must look towards the cloud for answers to our security concerns, commenting:
“IoT business scenarios will require a delivery mechanism that can grow and keep pace with requirements in monitoring, detection, access control and other security needs.”
He goes on to say: “The future of cloud-based security services is in part linked with the future of the IoT. In fact, the IoT’s fundamental strength in scale and presence will not be fully realised without cloud-based security services to deliver an acceptable level of operation for many organisations in a cost-effective manner. By 2020, Gartner predicts that over half of all IoT implementations will use some form of cloud-based security service.”
Spiceworks Deploy Mobile Help Desk
Spiceworks has debuted a new app that takes its cloud-based help desk solution mobile for the first time.
The app will allow IT professionals to deploy and manage its services on smartphones and tablets, and allow push notifications to help them stay on top of tickets while on the go.
“We’re focused on helping IT professionals become more efficient by enabling them to run their help desk entirely from their phones or tablets,” said Sanjay Castelino, VP of Marketing at Spiceworks. “With a tool that’s easy to deploy and use on the go, IT professionals can now support their growing business in a way that works best for them.”
The platform also doubles as a social network and allows members to share their own technical know-how with others in the community. What’s more, users can submit requests for quotations for IT purchases to vendors direct from the app itself.
The Spiceworks Help Desk mobile app is available for download today on iOS- and Android-based smartphones and tablets.
When Will Drones Lead to Loss of Life?
As drone flight increases in popularity, and with Amazon’s delivery plans seeing no signs of abating, aviation officials say it’s only a matter of time before the inevitable.
On 17 April, a British Airways plane was believed to have come close to a drone that had flown into its airspace. James Stamp, global head of aviation at KPMG commented on the recent near-miss at London’s Heathrow Airport:
“People who fly drones in controlled airspace are potentially putting lives in danger, and should be subject to the strongest possible sanctions available under the law. A number of practical steps should be taken, including requiring drones to be registered, tougher penalties for irresponsible behaviour, and technology based solutions that will prevent the drones entering restricted airspace in the first place.
“More research is also required into the potential impact of collisions because, while the impact of bird-strikes has been well researched, the impact of drone impacts is less well understood.”
On Valentine’s Day, a drone came within 20-150ft of an Airbus A320 flying at 12,500 feet near Biggin Hill in Kent. The incident was made all the more serious by the fact that drones are permitted by law to fly only under a height of 400 feet.
Incidents are only gathering in pace – to put things into perspective, there were nine near misses in 2014, but this increased to 40 last year.
Have you got an interest in IoT security, networks and drones? Want to connect with fellow procurement professionals in IT? Then head over to Procurious’ dedicated Group for IT Procurement.
