The smartwatch is one of the most popular gifts given to technology lovers; and, they have quite a bit of utility. They can help improve communication, health, and of course give them a sleek accessory. One problem that people don’t often consider is how their employer has to handle the influx of smartwatches and other IoT devices that are brought to work after the holidays. Today, we’ll briefly discuss how Internet of Things devices could be security risks and what a business should do about it.
The first thing we are going to touch on really doesn’t have to do with businesses, it has to do with smartwatch users. The smartwatch is a cool gadget and can do a lot of really neat things as long as you remember to charge it. Unfortunately, there is some risk involved in allowing these devices access to your business’ network. Some models don’t have completely fleshed out operating systems and could provide hackers an avenue of access to the rest of your business’ computing infrastructure if they aren’t kept updated.
Many of the noted security shortcoming of these devices may not mean anything for your business, but should be a consideration. It’s a best practice to create, implement, and enforce a BYOD policy that extends to smartwatches and other wearable technology and IoT devices. Here are a few tips that you can pass onto your employees to avoid problems with vulnerabilities brought onto your network through wearable technology:
With the popularity of smart devices, there is probably a pretty good chance that you have plenty of them already at your place of business. In order to get the control you need, you will likely need a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) strategy that also considers the IoT endpoints that are brought in. This is called a Bring Your Own Internet of Things (BYOIoT) Strategy.
By extending your BYOD strategy to a BYOIoT strategy, you not only have the coverage you need to keep threats off of your organization’s network, but you also have the solutions in place to scale that platform as your employees plan on bringing in additional smart devices. Securing endpoints and monitoring data flow will be important strategies to consider in the days and years ahead.
Securing the endpoints on your network is extremely important. For more information about what FRS Pros technicians can do for you, give us a call today at 561-795-2000.