The Internet of Things, also known as IoT, describes the upcoming billions of electronic devices around the globe that will be interconnected to the web, collecting and exchanging data. What is IoT? It is short for “Internet of Things.” An IoT device can be just as cute as a baby toy or as complex as an autonomous vehicle. The point is to connect devices together using wireless technology, such as Bluetooth, that allows data to be sent and received wirelessly over long distances.
Why should you care about the Internet of Things? Well, if you’re in the business sector, one thing is clear: the internet has to be a major player in your plan. Businesses need to know what things their customers are buying, what things are running low on supply, and what things are running out of stock. But the real reason to get into IoT is that it will enable you to leverage the cloud in order to run things more efficiently, by leveraging internet-connected systems.
For example, cars are getting more connected with their computers and their GPS systems. By connecting those devices with the cloud, car companies can get real-time information on speed, traffic, weather, road conditions, and more, which can help greatly improve customer service and product availability. Hospitals have been using sensors and microchips to monitor their facilities from anywhere. By accessing and using the internet through the cloud, they can monitor patients’ vital signs, monitor water quality in their reservoirs, and run clinical tests right from their laptops.
But the idea goes further than that. The IoT can extend to the home. With the right sensors, the internet can be used to detect irregularities and other problems in your house, as well as in your home appliances and electronics. Through the cloud, these devices could communicate with each other, and with your central control center. When something isn’t working right, the internet will alert you to it.
But one thing is certain. The internet of things doesn’t mean smart TVs, iPhones, or refrigerators. What it does mean is smart devices that communicate with each other, as well as with centralized control centers. The internet-connected devices you see in restaurants, factories, and hospitals may seem like smart devices, but they’re not – they’re just talking to each other.
To make things secure, you need to go beyond the internet and into the “smart phone” era. Connections between individual devices need to be made so that data (such as credit card numbers) can flow freely between them, but between the things they’re talking to each other about. The IoT is about smart technology in the home and in the workplace, and the only way to get there is to include internet of things security measures. For instance, your digital thermostat should have a screen to let you know if the temperature is too hot or too cold, but it should not allow anyone else to view it. Only you should have access to the information.
With the exception of devices connected through Bluetooth or wireless LANs, all your devices should have internet at some point. But what if you don’t have internet at all? You can’t open your garage door, for example, if you don’t have access to your smartphone. The best way to secure the home network you’ve created (and maintain) is to use a cloud service. One of the newest and most exciting offerings is Zwave, which is a DAS (direct access storage) protocol that protects everything that connects to your Zwave router.
You can protect your home network by protecting your smartphone. The internet of things security offered through Zwave allows you to control everything that connects to your Zwave. You can set up permissions for individual devices so that they only see what they’re supposed to see. You can also set up rules for each device so that certain devices (such as vending machines) aren’t allowed to connect to the internet. In addition, Zwave offers several i Cot ways of making sure that your smartphone only sees authorized devices – in other words, you’re protecting yourself and your devices from people who might try to access them through your smartphone without your knowledge!
