Page 31 - GCN, August/September 2017

The internet of things
is one of the hottest technologies available, with some analysts predicting a 20 percent annual growth in spending through 2020. Yet many government agencies have been slow to em- brace the technology.
The IoT, a network of millions of physical objects connect- ed via IP, offers huge potential benefits: Connected sensors could help track inventory; connected thermostats could save money on the heating and cooling of government buildings; connected traffic signals could manage congestion; and smart clothing could monitor the vital signs of warfighters or emer- gency responders.
Although government adoption of IoT technology appears to be slower than in the commercial sector, it’s important for agencies to understand the technology and look for ways to benefit from it.
The internet has been the “next industrial revolution,” said Mark Testoni, president and CEO of SAP National Security Services. And the IoT is a “natural extension of how you push the limits of the internet.”
Still, a string of high-profile security breaches involving consumer-grade IoT devices could be keeping many govern- ment agencies from embracing the technology because the IoT will exponentially increase the amount of data being held, Testoni said.
DOD: A CENTURY OF SENSOR USE
Bryson Bort, CEO of cybersecurity engineering and consult- ing firm Grimm, acknowledged that the IoT offers new secu- rity challenges. Given the distributed nature of the IoT, “you can’t just patch things.”
And with a huge number of companies selling connected de- vices, questions are bound to arise about the responsibility for vulnerabilities. “If there’s a problem, who’s responsible?” Bort asked. “Is it the manufacturer? Is it the software vendor? What if the software vendor no longer exists and their software is still out there? Is it the end consumer?”
Security problems and vendor abandonment of IoT devices are roadblocks to adoption, said David Egts, chief technologist for Red Hat’s Public Sector organization. “There aren’t a lot of incentives for people to develop long-term support for IoT devices,” he added. “A lot of IoT devices just get churned out, and the only way you’re going to get security updates is to buy a new unit all over again.”
In addition, many companies and government agencies lack the security skills in IoT and industrial controls, Bort said.
Indeed, a July 2016 report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation’s Center for Data Innovation cited a lack of skills and funding as key roadblocks to the federal government’s IoT adoption, which the organization said was very slow among federal civilian agencies.
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