IoT needs end-to-end solutions

Today's world of Internet of Things, known as IoT, requires an end-to-end security solutions and approach to address cyber security concerns in a hyper connected world.This was echoed by industry specialists during the third 'Cyber Security Conference' which was organised by telecom operator du in Dubai on Sunday.
During the conference, key security issues such as Cognitive Security, Security for 5G, Internet of Things, Cloud Security, and Security in the Digital Economy were discussed by top industry experts.
The conference promotes the sharing information about the latest developments in cyber security, including information security risks, threats, vulnerabilities and safeguards.
"More than 30 per cent consumers globally would be willing to pay a premium of five per cent to be protected against security issues," Nokia vice-president for Application & Analytics Security and IoT Giuseppe Targia said during his presentation. Targia talked about security for 5G and IoT at the conference. He mentioned that there is a need to secure IoT devices. He informed that the number of infected devices connected to a mobile network are dramatically increasing.Naji Ukaily, cyber security lead for the Middle East at Cisco talked about cyber security in the digital economy. Ukaily said that it's $19 billion opportunity considering a lot of connected devices, smart home, connected cars, etc.
He mentioned that there is a significant growth in connected devices year-on-year. Today, he said, there are 15 billion connected devices and by 2020 connected devices are expected touch 50 billion mark. There is expected to be a significant growth in connected devices from 2021 to 2030 to 500 billion, he informed. It was also highlighted that cloud represents a significant opportunity for telcos and communications service providers (CSPs) considering their huge customer base, customer care centres and billing systems, networks and their IT infrastructures based on data centres.
Forrester forecasts that the global market for cloud computing will grow from $40.7 billion in 2011 to more than $241 billion in 2020. Yet, security is still the number one concern for enterprises that move parts of their IT into the cloud, said a statement.
Earlier in his opening speech, du chief executive officer Osman Sultan said that the company always gives top priority to security with heavy investment in it to ensure du offers its customers superlative capability.
This year, the event once again hosted the popular hackathon with the aim of encouraging youth participation in the cyber security arena by encouraging Ethical Hacking. The event provided a safe learning environment for young hackers, test their skills and challenge them in a competitive environment.
- abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com