Securing the IoT is one of the big barriers to IoT reaching its full potential. To truly protect the billions of devices entering the field, security needs to be considered at the very beginning of device design—built in from the ground up and throughout the full lifecycle of the device. As the IoT starts to fix real-world problems, the value of assets inside IoT devices will only increase, making them prime targets for hackers.

Protecting our IoT devices and assets (for example the sensor data, or encryption keys), requires careful analysis of IoT assets. We also need to consider all security threats (communication, lifecycle, physical or software attacks), ensuring informed decisions are made about the necessary counter-measures to safeguard each IoT use case. If security is not considered upfront, enterprises and users of IoT may later find deployments compromised, risking revenue, brand credibility or in some cases, life-threatening situations.

The technologies required to develop and secure the Internet of Things are even more complex, interdependent, and pervasive than those that gave rise to the internet itself. Getting them right is critical; but so is knowing how to bring them all together. Technology development and ecosystem orchestration goes hand-in-hand as industry participants turn working concepts into real solutions that advance markets and enrich lives.