top of page
​The Internet Of Things (IoT) Has Arrived – What You Should Know
BY CHUCK BROOKS 
​
​

We have entered a new era of scientific breakthroughs and technological applications that will change life as we know it. Accelerated technological development is transforming our civilization. The pace of innovation is growing so rapidly that it is becoming exponential as each year passes.

​

Futurist Dr. Michio Kaku characterizes this blazing technological shift as moving from the “age of discovery” to the “age of mastery.”

​

This next decade beckons many new technological discoveries and applications. This includes genetic engineering and regeneration of body parts, new cures for diseases, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, nano-technologies, robotics, ultra-high speed trains and self-driving cars, renewable energies, sustainable agriculture, big data, 3-D Printing, digital security, quantum computing, mobility, and paper-thin flexible personal computers.

 

If you read the MIT Technology Review on a weekly basis, you will be provided with continual insights into the trends of disruptive transformation. It is also important to know some key stats and terms… and implications of the Internet of Things (IoT):

​

Some Key IoT Definitions/Stats:

​

  • IoT refers to the general idea of things that are readable, recognizable, “locatable”, addressable, and/or controllable via the Internet

  • Physical objects communicating with each other

  • People, data, things (machine to machine, machine to people)

  • According to Gartner, there will be nearly 26 billion networked devices on the Internet of Things by 2020

  • Cisco estimates that IoT will be valued at $4.6 trillion for the public sector in the next ten years

  • 604 million users of wearable biometrics by 2019 according to Goode Intelligence

​

IoT Key Components of IoT: Big Data (and data mining), Sensors (RFID, chips, transistors, analytics (predictive)

​

IoT Product and Service Applications: Improving government services. Better efficiency and performance via BPO. Smart solutions under budget constraints, scalability; BPO can more rapidly adapt and manage customer service for the exponential growth and magnitude of IoT, risk mitigation. Management/integration. Compliance. Data integrity. Consumer facing digital government and responding to public need.

​

IoT Areas of Focus: Facilities & infrastructure management, industrial applications, energy (smart grid) , medical & healthcare, transportation, building/construction (smart buildings), environment (waste management), water resources, retail and supply chain, communications, and education (learning analytics).

​

IoT Technology Trends: Automation, robotics, enabling nanotechnologies, self-assembling materials, artificial intelligence (human/computer interface), 3D Printing Photovoltaics and printed electronics, wearables (flexible electronics),  real-time analytics and predictive analytics, super-computing (faster and more connectivity), increased storage and data memory power, wireless networks, secure cloud computing, virtualization.

​

IoT Policy Issues: Ethics, interoperability protocols, cybersecurity, privacy/ surveillance, complex autonomous systems, best commercial practices.

​

IoT Benefits: Logistics and situational awareness by monitoring data, i.e. traffic jams, parking management and distributed traffic control. Energy use (utilities). Productivity; manufacturing, logistics, telework. Healthcare; connected devices (wearables) – patient monitoring vital body signs with remote monitoring capabilities. Emergency management; i.e. weather incidents, crow control. Security; cameras, sensors, forensics.

​

IoT Areas of Impact:
​

Health & Medicine

​

  • Health- Implantable devices, bionic eyes, DNA nanomedicines

  • Genomic techniques – Gene therapy (Gene therapy to enhance strength, endurance and lifespan gene therapy to enhance human intelligence)

  • Remote sensing tech

  • Medicine for longevity, enhancement

  • Real-time biomarker tracking and monitoring

  • Artificially grown organs human regeneration (regrow lost limbs in months)

  • Life expectancy doubles

  • Human cells interfaced with nanotech MNT repair of physical trauma, almost no deaths once injured and then get MNT treatment (EMT or hospital) MNT repair of cellular damage MNT able to replace various organs MNT able to enhance body functions, cybernetics

  • Exoskeletons for mobility

​

Transportation

​

  • Sustainability of infrastructure

  • Converged transportation ecosystems and monitoring

  • Autonomous and connected cars

  • Predictive analytics(parking, traffic patterns)

​

Energy

​

  • Solar power

  • Waste to biofuels

  • Protecting the grid

  • Batteries (long lasting)

​

Law Enforcement and Public Safety: 

​

  • Surveillance (chemical and bio sensors, cameras, drones)

  • Forensics

  • Interoperable communications

  • Security screening by bio-signature: Every aspect of your physiology can be used as a bio-signature. Measure unique heart/pulse rates, electrocardiogram sensor, blood oximetry, skin temperature

​

Finance:

​

  • Mobile payments

  • Mobile banking

  • Identity management

  • Biometric Security: Access control facial recognition, voice recognition, iris and retina scanners, fingerprint sensors on tablets and smartphones – pass keys

​

Agriculture:

​

  • Aqua farming

  • Water purification

  • New food manufacturing and production tech

  • Food security

​

This article appeared on Wavefront on Wireless – http://wavefrontonwireless.com/the-internet-of-things-iot-has-arrived-what-you-should-know/

DHS, NIST Release Security Guidelines for IoT Devices

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released new security guidelines last week for the Internet of Things (IoT) after a massive distributed denial-of-service attack targeted these devices and shutdown many popular websites like Twitter and Etsy last month.

​

The new guidelines from the two agencies provide a needed and welcome step as the government begins to examine and prepare for the implications of ubiquitous connectivity in the Internet of Things ecosystem. The adoption of IoT and the integration of sensors is moving fast and there is an imperative to have security as a first step in planning the implementation of IoT for the public sector.

​

IoT refers to the general idea of devices and equipment that are readable, recognizable, locatable, addressable, and/or controllable via the internet. This includes everything from home appliances, wearable technology and cars. These days, if a device can be turned on, it most likely can be connected to the internet. Because of this, data can be shared quickly across a multitude of objects and devices increasing the rate of communications.

​

Imagine a world where your alarm clock notifies your coffee maker to start brewing when you wake up. Or, your car is communicating with other cars on the road, exchanging information about speed and position to reduce the number of accidents. Seems a little like The Jetsons, but this will soon be our reality – and in some cases, already is.

​

According to Gartner, there is expected to be nearly 26 billion networked devices on the IoT by 2020, giving any business, no matter the industry, access to endless amounts of vital, real-time data about their company and customers. Inside and outside the workplace, the IoT has the potential to change the way we work and live.

​

Just like many industries, government agencies are looking for ways to cut costs and become more efficient, and have realized the IoT is one way they can achieve productivity gains. Over the last five years, the federal government has spent more than $300 million on IoT-related research and Cisco estimates that the IoT will be valued at $4.6 trillion for the public sector in the next ten years.

​

Public Sector IoT

​

So where are we seeing IoT adoption in the public sector?

​

An area that has shown promise and growth is public infrastructure and transportation. Opportunities abound within facilities management, grid and energy planning, and environmental impacts like waste management and water meters – with the IoT driving smart cities and smart urban mobility.

​

For example, smart parking applications are already informing citizens where the open parking spots are in a busy city. Video and data analytics are helping cities identify how many passengers are in a vehicle for High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane compliance and cities are able to monitor and manage traffic and congestion.

The Internet of Things is also revolutionizing mass transit including buses, subways and trains. The technology can track traffic data, driver performance and gas usage to cut costs and improve traffic routes for better service. Sensors on subways, railroad cars and buses can help monitor systems like temperature and fault warnings for a safer, more comfortable ride and can provide real-time information to passengers to warn them of the estimated arrival time on their mobile device.

​

Buses can also get alerts from citizens to stop at a certain stop, at a certain time, and can cancel the stop when the traveler isn’t there. A truly connected and integrated transportation system made possible from the IoT is making transportation faster and safer for drivers and passengers.

​

The list below highlights some of the key areas of IoT that apply to the public sector:

​

IoT Key Components:  Big Data (and data mining), Sensors (RFID, chips, transistors, Analytics (predictive).

IoT Product and Service Applications:  Improving government services; better efficiencies and performance via BPO; smart solutions under budget constraints; scalability; management/integration; compliance; data integrity; consumer facing digital government and responding to public need.

​

IoT Areas of focus:  Facilities &  infrastructure management; industrial applications; energy (smart grid); medical & healthcare; transportation; building/construction (smart buildings); environment (waste management); water resources; retail and supply chain; communications; and education (learning analytics).

​

IoT Technology Trends:  Automation, robotics, enabling nanotechnologies, self-assembling materials, artificial intelligence (human/computer interface), 3D Printing Photovoltaics and printed electronics), wearables (flexible electronics)  real-time analytics and predictive analytics, super-computing (faster and more connectivity), increased storage and data memory power, wireless networks, secure cloud computing,  virtualization,

IoT Policy Issues: Ethics, interoperability protocols, cybersecurity, privacy/ surveillance, complex autonomous systems, best commercial practices.

​

IOT Benefits: Logistics and situational awareness by monitoring data (i.e. traffic jams, parking management, and distributed traffic control); energy use (utilities); productivity (manufacturing, logistics, telework); healthcare connected devices (wearables); patient monitoring (vital body signs with remote monitoring capabilities);

emergency management (weather incidents, crow control); security (cameras, sensors, forensics).

​

The potential of the IoT for both the public and private sector is undeniable; however, companies and agencies need to develop plans and prepare their workers for its implications in order to harness the value of the technology. It is clear there is more education and research that needs to happen before companies and government agencies can fully develop a plan to implement the IoT for their specific processes.

​

As IoT continues to evolve, strategies for adoption and security will need to be operationally mandated. The DHS/NIST guidance is a good start.

​

-By Chuck Brooks, the Vice President for Government Relations & Marketing for Sutherland Global Services. Chuck also serves as Chairman of CompTIA’s New and Emerging Technology Committee, and he serves as subject matter expert to The Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center (HDIAC), a Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored organization through the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC).

Chuck Brooks: The IIoT potential cyber threats consequences

Mr. Chuck Brooks – one of the world’s most known experts and the cyber security guru, shares his thoughts about Industry 4.0 and cyber threats in an interview with Ludmila Morozova-Buss.

​

As the capabilities and connectivity of cyber devices have grown exponentially, so have the cyber intrusions and threats from malware and hackers requiring restructuring of priorities and missions.

​

According to Chuck Brooks, a successful 4.0 cyber threat consequences strategy requires stepping up assessing situational awareness, information sharing, and especially resilience. Cyber resilience is an area that must be further developed both in processes and technologies because no matter what, breaches will happen.

​

Currently, Ransomware mostly via Phishing activities is the top threat. In the recent past, 2014 code vulnerabilities such as Heartbleed, Shellshock, Wirelurke, POODLE and other open source repositories caused chaos and harm. There is a growing understanding the seriousness and sophistication of the threats, especially denial of service and the adversarial actors that include states, organized crimes, and loosely affiliated hackers.

​

In the US, most (approximately 85%) of the cybersecurity critical infrastructure including defense, oil, and gas, electric power grids, healthcare, utilities, communications, transportation, banking, and finance is owned by the private sector and regulated by the public sector. DHS has recognized the importance of private sector input into cybersecurity requirements across these verticals and along with NIST in developing a strategy to ameliorate shortcomings.

​

The Strategic Grid, in the US and Europe, is in great need for enhanced security. An accelerated effort to fund and design new technologies to protect the utilities from natural or man-made electromagnetic surges; further, harden hardware and software in SCADA networks from cyber-attack, and provide enhanced physical security for the grid.

Mobile management that involves securing millions of BYOD devices is currently a challenge for information security both in government and in the private sector. Cloud computing has also taken center stage and securing cloud applications. There is always a need for better encryption, biometrics, smarter analytics and automated network security in all categories.

​

Supercomputing, machine learning, and quantum computing technologies are an exciting area of current exploration that may remedy many of the threats.

​

Chuck's Brooks list of future cybersecurity 4.0 priorities includes:

​

  • Internet of Things (society on new verge of exponential interconnectivity)

  • Wearables

  • Drones and Robots

  • Artificial intelligence

  • Smart Cities

  • Connected transportation

The full interview by Ludmila Morozova-Buss can be read here.

bottom of page