Shift towards security strategies centered on personal identities
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, the number of connected devices is set to skyrocket. By 2025, projections suggest that there could be up to 75 billion connected devices, a significant increase from the estimated 20.8 billion things anticipated to be part of the Internet of Things (IoT) market by 2020 [1][2]. This explosive growth, especially in industries such as healthcare and smart homes, brings forth challenges concerning data security, privacy, and access control.
One company at the forefront of addressing these challenges is miaa Guard, a Belgian firm offering managed access services. Carlo Schupp, co-founder of miaa Guard, has emphasized the importance of managing access for both people and devices to protect secure customer identities [3].
Access control is a vital component of customer identity and access management. As the number of connected devices multiplies, the attack surface for cyber threats expands considerably. If one IoT device is compromised, attackers might gain access to other devices on the same network, amplifying risks [2][4]. To mitigate these risks, implementation of scoped access control—where devices and users are granted only the minimal necessary permissions—is critical.
Scoped access ensures that only those employees and contractors who need access to data to do their work have access, and that their access is limited to the data required for their work. This principle is particularly important in industries where sensitive data, such as healthcare records, is collected. The issue of doctor access to patient records will require policies and constraints to ensure the privacy and security of patient data [5].
The rollout of 5G, cheaper sensors, AI integration, and edge computing both enable more devices and heighten the necessity for advanced security frameworks capable of dynamic control and autonomous threat detection [1][2][3]. In response, the IoT security markets are growing rapidly, projected to increase at a CAGR of over 32% from 2019 to 2027, highlighting strong investment in AI-driven and automated security solutions to manage scoped access and device control across large-scale networks [2].
Historically, permissions for accessing data were not revoked when employees changed positions within a company, leading to accumulation of permissions over time. It's important to review security from an identity-centric perspective, ensuring a single identity for an individual to avoid multiple accounts and scattered access rights. Consumer brands accessing customer data also needs to be controlled, limiting access to only necessary employees and contractors [5].
Devices are starting to have their own identities, often associated with a human being that owns the device. Access control for applications is often embedded within the application or the web server, but there are trends towards externalizing it for a harmonized approach [5]. Janrain, a cloud-based customer identity management platform, helps companies build a unified view of their customers across all devices by collecting accurate customer profile data for personalized marketing [6].
In conclusion, the rapid growth from billions of connected devices around 2020 expanding to tens of billions by 2025 necessitates robust, scalable security and privacy frameworks that emphasize scoped access controls, device-level security measures, and continuous risk management to prevent network-wide compromises and safeguard sensitive information [1][2][4]. By focusing on these aspects, companies can ensure the privacy and security of their customers' data and maintain trust in the digital age.
References:
[1] IoT Analytics. (2020). IoT Security Market Report 2020 - 2025. Retrieved from https://www.iot-analytics.com/reports/iot-security-market-report-2020-2025/
[2] Juniper Research. (2019). IoT Security: The Market Opportunity. Retrieved from https://www.juniperresearch.com/document/iot-security-market-opportunity
[3] miaa Guard. (2018). miaa Guard Co-Founder Discusses the Importance of Managing Access for Devices and People to Protect Secure Customer Identities. Retrieved from https://www.miaaguard.com/news/miaa-guard-co-founder-discusses-the-importance-of-managing-access-for-devices-and-people-to-protect-secure-customer-identities
[4] Gartner. (2019). Predicts 2020: IoT Security Will Become a Top Priority for Enterprises. Retrieved from https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2019-12-16-gartner-predicts-2020-iot-security-will-become-a-top-priority-for-enterprises
[5] Schupp, C. (2016). The Need for Device Control to Maintain Trust from the Device Owner. Retrieved from https://www.miaaguard.com/blog/the-need-for-device-control-to-maintain-trust-from-the-device-owner
[6] Janrain. (n.d.). Identity Management Platform. Retrieved from https://www.janrain.com/solutions/identity-management/
- As the IoT market expands, with projections indicating up to 75 billion connected devices by 2025, addressing cybersecurity concerns, particularly scoped access control, becomes increasingly important to safeguard sensitive data, such as healthcare records, across diverse technology platforms like data-and-cloud-computing and technology.
- In the realm of data-and-cloud-computing, advanced security frameworks, capable of dynamic control and autonomous threat detection, will be essential to mitigate risks associated with the explosive growth in the number of connected devices, ensuring robust, scalable security and privacy frameworks for both people and devices, and maintaining trust in the digital age.
