The Impact of IoT on Business IT Infrastructure and Security

The Internet of Things (IoT) has made revolutionary waves across the business sector by changing the way organisations are run and interact with the environment.

The function of IoT technology as a means of interconnecting things such as devices, sensors, and machines over the internet is that it has been a source of the unmatchable level of data collection, analysis, and automation.

Creation of new opportunities and values for businesses using IoT on the other hand, their IT infrastructure and data security become more challenging.

Read on to discover the impact of IoT on business IT infrastructure and the measures needed to ensure robust cybersecurity.

Expanded Attack Surface

Through the inclusion of IoT devices, businesses now have a higher exposure to cyber threats because it adds new gaps that can be used as entry points by hackers.

Every connected machine has the potential of becoming a security hole for hackers to use and penetrate corporate networks or data stored there.

The IoT ecosystems will continue to expand in scope and complexity and businesses face the rise of these risks, unless they implement the appropriate security measures that will effectively mitigate these risks.

Network Bandwidth

With the adoption of IoT devices, IoT can exhaust network bandwidth or network performance, in particular, in infrastructures with inadequate capacity.

IoT devices that continuously send and receive signals contribute to network congestion, which can lead to transmission delays and, over time, a general slowdown of network efficiency.

Businesses need to allocate resources to make a system of this nature that can handle this flow of data.

Data Privacy

IoT devices collect vast amounts of data, including sensitive information about users, operations, and environments.

Ensuring data privacy and compliance with regulatory requirements such as GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA becomes paramount as businesses leverage IoT technology.

Unauthorised access, data breaches, or non-compliance could result in severe financial penalties, legal consequences, and reputational damage.

Integration Challenges

In many cases, IoT ecosystems are complex systems made up of numerous different devices and platforms, and this causes challenges.

The lack of compatibility between one IoT device and another or the differences between various protocols can cause problems such as disruptions in the information exchange. This event in turn makes it complex to build an IoT solution and integrate it into an existing IT infrastructure.

Companies need to be cautious concerning the requirements of compatibility to ensure the investment in IoT products supports their integration.

Resource Management

Managing a large-scale IoT deployment is an area where the important factors of scalability and resource usage come into the picture.

Along with the number of connected devices, there is also the need for businesses to allocate resources for data storage, processing, and analysis of data.

Scalable cloud-based solutions, edge computing technologies, and distributed architectures will help businesses deal with IoT-related resource requirements easily and expand their infrastructure.

Cybersecurity Threats

IT devices are generally designed with limited capability in terms of security resources and are therefore susceptible to cyber attacks.

Security flaws encountered in IoT devices frequently include default passwords, unencrypted communication and out-of-date firmware.

Attackers may also resort to these vulnerabilities to introduce a number of different attacks such as; distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks (maliciously intended to overload a given server, service or network), malware infections, and data breaches.

What businesses need to do in order to secure the IoT technology is to implement advanced method of authentication, employ the latest encryption protocols and secure the firmware updates.

Operational Efficiency

IoT has a great number of benefits in the case of business thanks to its high efficiency and innovations.

IoT-integrated automation, predictive maintenance, and real-time monitoring can enable process automation, scheduled maintenance, and efficient resource utilisation.

Additionally, IoT creates a tap for innovation, and differentiation of products and devices, as well as generating more revenue through the creation of connected products, services, and business models.

Though IoT creates a new horizon for innovation and efficiency, it is accompanied by complex challenges such as cybersecurity, privacy of data and related infrastructure management. Make the most of IoT and don’t let cyber risks affect your operation with expert IT assistance.

The outsourcing of IT services will give you a chance to delegate IT tasks and to revive your resources, work with efficiency, experience innovation, bring down your costs, and improve your security.

For help with managing your IT systems, seek advice from a trusted IT support provider, such as ECL. We have a track record of successfully creating and implementing business continuity plans, managing cyber security threats, and protecting data.

If you want professional support with your IT, get in touch with our team of experts on 01268 575300, or email us at info@ecl.co.uk.