Businesses looking to enrich their operations through the Internet of Things (IoT)

may face unexpected risks from the non-work devices of their workers, it has been
reported.

Following hot on the heels of enforcing regulations surrounding BYOD policies,

companies now need to realise that devices such as fitness trackers or connected
cars could be transmitting data about their employees and possibly putting
confidential or valuable information at risk, according to software company Axway.

Mark ONeill VP Innovation AxwayControl

Following on from a slot speaking at the ThingMonk conference in London this week,
Mark O�Neill, Axway�s vice president of innovation, told TechWeek Europe that the
notion of �BYOIoT� is now becoming a very real concept for many companies due to
the range of devices used by their employees.

BYOIoT �is really a continuation of BYOD�, he says, as many organisations have now
finally come to terms with employees wanting to bring their own mobile devices to
work and use them. However it adds devices such as fitness trackers to the likes of
smartphones and tablets, but also opening up new risks.

�The thing about these devices is they have APIs that can connect to other systems,
they might be tracking location, might be sending this information out � so as a
business, you have this situation where your employees might literally be tracked
and data gathered about them, and this information�might be going through your
corporate network.�

�The challenge is � do you ignore that, and say that�s your business, and you just
use them, or do you say you want people to register their devices or do you
implement a policy or code of conduct?�

office worker_computerRisky business

O�Neill describes the current situation as �a coming wave�, as many companies are
aware of the situation and risk posed by connected devices, but most are still
deciding what exactly they have to do. This has also not been helped by the trauma
faced by many companies when first implementing BYOD policies, with several high-
profile organisations suffering embarrassing or damaging data losses or breaches
caused by employee error.

�But if they need to be managed under the corporate umbrella, and corporate and IT
are saying no, people will just bring them in anyway and step around this,� he
warns.

Recent estimates from Gartner say that the number of items connected to the
Internet of Things will hit 25 billion by 2020 as the world becomes a more
connected place, with the economic impact of the IoT is set to grow to support
total services spending of $263 billion by 2020.

However the security of the network remains a crucial factor, with research by IDC
predicting that 90 percent of businesses will suffer an IoT-related data breach or
attack within the next two years.

O�Neill says that IoT security is a very real worry for business in a range of
industries, especially as more companies look to get connected.

�At the moment, you can see the IoT as in a honeymoon mode,� O�Neill says, �there
is a lot of promise there. But organisations have found that the value of their
device is really only as strong as the ecosystem that surrounds it.�

This is particularly true of wearables, as consumers look to show off and share
their fitness exploits on social media. But such devices require a constant
connection to be able to link to the necessary sites or connections, which is where
the risk comes in.

Any vulnerability or misuse of a device connecting via a workplace network could

have serious consequences, O�Neill warns, potentially opening individuals and even
companies (should the user have certain information linked or shared across
devices) up to hacking or other forms of cybercrime.

En savoir plus sur http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/workspace/axway-byod-internet-

of-things-156990#d548uYMueoL3EUfQ.99