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One of the big trends that's set to have a huge impact on business networks in the coming years is the Internet of Things (IoT). This is forecast to be one of the biggest transformations facing the tech industry, and it's set to revolutionise how many companies do business.
Essentially, the IoT involves the addition of a wide variety of sensors to networks, which will be able to gather detailed information on a number of variables and send data back in order to be analysed. According to Gartner, 21 billion of these devices will be in use by 2020 around the world, outnumbering laptops, tablets and smartphones by around three to one. Of these, around six per cent will be deployed in industrial applications.
However, many businesses will find it difficult to secure these devices and implement them into their existing network access policies, which could result in the creation of many new vulnerabilities and backdoors into enterprise networks that criminals will be eager to exploit.
Tim Zimmermann, research vice-president at Gartner, said that ensuring IoT devices are able to safely access a firm's network will be the next step for forward-looking organisations that have already embraced new trends such as bring your own device - which also brought with it a range of security challenges.
"Whether a video surveillance camera for a parking lot, a motion detector in a conference room or the HVAC for the entire building, the ability to identify, secure and isolate all IoT devices - and in particular 'headless' devices - is more difficult to manage and secure," he stated.
Mr Zimmermann explained that the majority of IoT devices will use the established bandwidth provided by the organisation, wireless 1.3 Gbps of 802.11ac Wave 1 or 1.7 Gbps of 802.11ac Wave 2. However, it will be vital for IT organisations to work closely with facilities management and business units to identify all devices and projects connected to the enterprise infrastructure which will require access to the network.
As more devices are added to enterprise networks, it will become necessary for infrastructure professionals to set up virtual segments in order to separate these assets from other traffic. This will enable businesses to more effectively prioritise their traffic. For example, security video traffic may be given a higher priority than less critical applications such as LED lighting controls.
In order to monitor IoT devices, businesses will need to consider improving their enterprise network access policies and developing new best practices that are more tailored to machine-to-machine wireless communication.
Mr Zimmermann said: "Many IoT devices may be using 2.4GHz, but may not be using 802.11 protocols such as Bluetooth, ZigBee or Z-Wave, which may create interference."
Businesses also need to consider packet sniffers in order to identify devices that may do something undesirable on the network, he continued.
