Page 15 - SAMENA Trends - July-August 2022

FEATURED SAMENA TRENDS

Challenges for IoT Deployment
Also, Smart homes have benefitted IoT sensors and large data systems. The IoT market has exploded in recent
greatly from IoT innovations and are be- These solutions support the accurate years; however, IoT device manufacturers
coming more and more commonplace. tracking of ships’ movement to and from and consumers face significant challenges
Consequently, stc has been at the lead- warehouses, facilitating smooth and related to IoT data collection and
ing-edge of smart home innovations, streamlined imports, aiding merchants management. These include the following
with the introduction of its state-of- and directly linking port facilities. (Source: firstpoint):
the-art “myhome” device offering users
access to an extensive suite of smart Lastly, stc works with a global network 1. Data Security
solutions all over the house that can be of partners to transform the Kingdom’s Some IoT devices collect highly sensitive
controlled remotely. In fact, a “Markets ports into smart ports by linking them information. In the healthcare industry,
and Markets report” projected the glob- to 5G networks. This is essential for the data collected by IoMT devices
al smart home market to experience a helping these ports find solutions to the include protected health information
compound growth rate of 14% between challenges presented by equipment fail- (PHI). Internet-connected cameras, voice
2016 and 2022, with its value ballooning ure, treatment of congestion in loading assistants, and similar tools can monitor
to approximately 122 billion US dollars. and unloading stations, safeguarding peoples’ activities and conversations.
stc has strived to enhance the infra- workers, and preserving the environ- IoT devices used in manufacturing have
access to sensitive information about
“We will continue working on accelerated pace, manufacturing processes and procedures.
providing the latest technological solutions in addition Securing this data is a common challenge
to developing a reliable digital infrastructure within for IoT devices. These devices are
our digital ecosystem. This will boost the Kingdom’s frequently designed to be accessible from
the public Internet due to their need to send
position as a leading digital service center through data to cloud-based servers for processing
innovative projects and global partnerships. Thus, and are managed from mobile devices and
enabling the digital transformation of the public and web-based portals. As a result, they have
notoriously poor security. Some common
private sectors will reflect in strengthening the digital IoT security issues that can endanger the
economy in harmony with the Kingdom's Vision 2030. sensitive data that they contain include:
• Poor
Password
unique
(other
Olayan Mohammed Al-Wetaid, CEO, stc group identifier) Security: IoT devices are
often deployed with default, weak,
structure of the Kingdom’s industrial ment through private cellular networks. and hardcoded passwords, keys, or
cities in mind — with the backing and The group will provide IoT systems to secrets. Cybercriminals exploit this poor
under the supervision of the Industrial automate the work of bridge and quay password security to gain access to
Cities Authority, by collaborating togeth- cranes, and docking planning at port these devices, which provides access
er to empower local factories with the berths, in addition to managing the to the devices and the data they collect
latest networking and digital services, movement of freight and loading trains, and process.
broadband and 5G technologies. fleets of land trucks and the handling of • Unpatched Vulnerabilities: IoT
containers in storage spaces. manufacturers are largely unregulated
These technologies will enable factories and often have poor secure
to harness the power of data and insights stc group CEO Alwetaid stated, “We development practices, leading to
to make faster and more accurate will continue working on accelerated vulnerable products being shipped.
decisions. Industrial IoT solutions are pace, providing the latest technological IoT devices are commonly deployed
used in smart factories and contain solutions in addition to developing a on a “set it and forget it” basis, without
connected sensors that help to monitor reliable digital infrastructure within our patches applied for newly discovered
facilities’ machines, environment, and digital ecosystem. vulnerabilities. As a result, many IoT
needs; ensuring compliance with given devices contain vulnerabilities that an
specifications and standards. This data This will boost the Kingdom’s position attacker can exploit.
enables manufacturers to reduce costs as a leading digital service center
and avoid interruptions of the production through innovative projects and global 2. Data Privacy
processes. partnerships. Thus, enabling the digital Much of the information collected and
transformation of the public and private processed by IoT devices may be protected
Similarly, IoT technologies enable the sectors will reflect in strengthening the under various data privacy laws. The
transformation of traditional ports digital economy in harmony with the EU’S General Data Protection Regulation
into smart ports through the use of Kingdom's Vision 2030. (GDPR) protects any data that can be used

15 JULY-AUGUST 2022