Internet of Things is the defining trend of our era — with technology companies across the spectrum competing for a slice of the IoT market. Acquisitions of NEST by Google, ThingWorx by PTC, and Pachube by Logmein are definite pointers toward this trend. With growth comes complexity: internet of things security has emerged as a critical concern, as billions of connected devices expand the attack surface and create new risks for consumers and industries alike. In this post we explore IoT, its IoT Architecture, applications, and why internet of things security must be designed in from the start — not added as an afterthought.
What is Internet of Things?
Internet of Things is a concept where real-world physical devices — each with a unique identifier — are connected to the Internet, and decisions and actions are made based on acquired data without human interaction. The physical device could be anything: an ambient light sensor, a heart rate monitor, or a temperature controller in a refrigerator truck. Decisions may be taken by a cloud platform, a home gateway, or even a mobile phone.
An IoT scenario can be as simple as a car calling ambulance services automatically on detecting a crash, or as complex as managing complete inventory — from detecting reduced stock, triggering an order based on financials and historical supply/demand, monitoring production, tracking shipments, and updating inventory continuously. At every stage, internet of things security — protecting data integrity, device identity, and communication confidentiality — is paramount.
IoT extends earlier data acquisition technologies: instead of a data logger pushing to a central server for human analysis, internet of things security-aware intelligent devices collect, analyze, and act — minimizing or removing human intervention for optimal, automated outcomes.
IoT Architecture: Sensors, Connectivity, and Intelligence
At its core, IoT Architecture involves three elements: Sensors, Connectivity, and Intelligence. The IoT Architecture diagram below illustrates how these elements interact:
Internet of Things – An Overview
Connecting millions of devices to the Internet creates scenarios not seen before. Technically, IPv6 provides enough unique addresses for all devices that will ever be manufactured. The complexity arises from handling data from these devices, extracting meaningful information, and taking decisions — all while maintaining internet of things security across each layer of the IoT Architecture.
Communication technology depends on usage, data rate, location, and other requirements — from low-power ZigBee/BLE to a gateway and then the Internet, or directly via GSM/WiFi. The IoT Architecture is evolving and will likely be event-driven: events propagate to the control center, are processed, and actions are returned to the device.
IoT Devices and Sensor Integration
IoT devices span an enormous range — from 8-bit microcontrollers with limited RAM to powerful edge computing nodes running Linux. Integrating IoT devices securely requires careful attention to firmware security, secure boot, and encrypted communications at the device level. Embien's IoT Development Services team brings embedded hardware and firmware expertise to IoT devices across industrial, medical, and consumer segments.
IoT Technology Stack and Standards
The IoT Technology Stack is still being defined — with numerous organizations and consortia competing to establish common standards. IoT-A, Global Standards Initiative on IoT (IoT-GSI) by ITU, IEEE Standards Association, and Open Mobile Alliance are all active contributors. The challenge for the IoT Technology Stack is fragmentation: since IoT applications are so varied, each company creates its own communication protocol. Most are based on RESTful services, CoAP, JSON, and similar technologies. A unified IoT Technology Stack remains elusive in the near term.
From an internet of things security perspective, the protocol diversity creates challenges: security properties vary widely across CoAP, MQTT, HTTP/REST, and proprietary protocols — requiring engineers to evaluate each layer of the IoT Technology Stack for encryption, authentication, and integrity protection.
Internet of Things Applications
IoT finds numerous applications — changing how we interact with the physical world. Devices will understand context better and make life easier. Prominent application examples include IoT-A's vision of IoT usage and Libelium's catalogue of IoT application domains.
IoT in Automotive and Industrial Sectors
IoT in Automotive is one of the fastest-growing application domains — from connected car telematics and remote diagnostics to V2X communication and predictive maintenance. IoT in Automotive requires the highest levels of internet of things security: a compromised vehicle system can endanger lives. Beyond automotive, industrial IoT deployments in manufacturing, energy, and logistics also demand robust IoT Architecture and internet of things security frameworks to protect critical infrastructure.
Internet of Things Opportunities
The IoT will create new business possibilities across four primary segments, each with its own internet of things security considerations:
Sensors: With more sensors required, large-scale production drives down cost. Secure silicon and hardware-level security features are becoming standard even in low-cost sensor devices.
Connectivity: Different connectivity options serve different scenarios. New devices are manufactured with connectivity built in; existing devices gain connectivity via gateways and protocol converters.
Cloud Services: Data generated by IoT devices is consumed by cloud platforms. SaaS and PaaS models are evolving rapidly — with secure data pipelines and identity management becoming table stakes.
Applications: The algorithms that understand data and control devices are the most important part of the IoT universe — and the area where internet of things security innovation is most active.
Conclusion
IoT will continue to define the next decade. Internet of things security — embedded into the IoT Architecture, enforced across the IoT Technology Stack, and applied to every class of IoT devices — is what will determine whether connected systems deliver on their promise or become liabilities. Major changes in how we live and work are coming, and building security in from the start is the only viable path. Our IoT Cloud Integration Services support secure data flow, device management, and scalable analytics across connected IoT platforms.
Embien has launched its SkyCase solution for enabling IoT for devices across industry. As the first phase, it supports data collection and visualization using many available widgets. The second phase of SkyCase will incorporate intelligence for manipulating data and controlling connected devices.