Page 81 - SAMENA Trends - August 2019

ARTICLE SAMENA TRENDS

ARTICLE

Secure Global Connectivity Is Imperative for Age of IoT

As businesses explore new opportunities
for the IoT, they must acknowledge that the
public internet is no longer fit to provide the

secure global connectivity that is imperative
to fulfill its promise. Instead, the use of a
private, isolated network has emerged as
an alternative and more practical answer
to protecting online transactions in an age
when the IoT is creating ever-greater risk.

With promises of limitless opportunities for convenience and
efficiency, the internet of things (IoT) is a full-fledged craze in the
business world. But what’s often overlooked in this enthusiasm
is that the “I” in the IoT is also an internet of shared data and
networks. As a result, we are dangerously reliant on public internet
connectivity to underpin many of the IoT’s new services, without
fully grasping the security implications.

The public internet was never designed to be a secure environment.
It was originally conceived as a network with built-in redundancy
for academics to share data within a known community, not protect
itself from unknown users and malicious actors. Consequently,
from a security standpoint, it’s become more of a best-effort Phil Celestini
network than a best-in-class network needed to ensure the Senior Vice President and Chief Security and Risk
confidentiality, integrity and availability of today’s transactions.
This poses a profound systemic risk for countries in the Middle Officer, Syniverse
East and Africa, as well as the entire world.

With the IoT poised to enter a crucial growth phase in this region,
it’s important to understand the implications of this systemic risk
as companies begin work on their 2020 business plans. In fact,
according to the GSMA, as of early this year, total IoT connections
already numbered 400 million across the Middle East and North
Africa, split equally between consumer and industrial uses, and
the IoT market in the region was valued at $16 billion. By 2025,
though, total IoT connections in the Middle East and North Africa
are projected to hit 1.1 billion and reach a market value of $55
billion.

81 AUGUST 2019