Manage
IoT deployment used to be something factories and enterprises worried about. Now it’s a smart thermostat in the back office, sensors on the production line, cameras in the warehouse, and a badge reader on the front door. If it’s connected to your network and it isn’t a computer, it’s IoT.
And there is a lot more of it coming. The number of connected devices worldwide is projected to climb from roughly 15 billion in 2023 to about 21 billion in 2026.
Buying the devices is the easy part. Getting them onto a network your business already depends on, without quietly opening a hole in it, is where these projects go wrong. Here’s the five-step IoT deployment process we walk our clients through.
Step 1: Define What Your IoT Deployment Should Accomplish
Before anyone orders hardware, get specific about the goal. A vague IoT deployment produces vague results — and a pile of devices nobody maintains. Three questions settle most of it.
What Problem Are You Actually Solving?
Are you trying to cut downtime, get real-time visibility into something you currently guess at, or monitor a site remotely so somebody stops driving out there on weekends? Name the problem first. It tells you which devices matter and which ones are just interesting.
What Data Will These Devices Generate?
Figure out the nature and volume of the data before you buy. A handful of temperature sensors reporting once a minute is nothing. Two dozen cameras streaming continuously is a different network entirely, and it changes what infrastructure you need underneath.
How Sensitive Is That Data?
Security requirements follow the data. Equipment run-times need basic protection. Anything touching customer information, video of your premises, or access control needs considerably more. Decide this now, because retrofitting security onto a live deployment is expensive and awkward.
Step 2: Choose Devices and Infrastructure That Fit
Picking the Devices
With the goal defined, choose components. When you evaluate smart devices, weigh these factors:
- Compatibility with the infrastructure you already have
- Built-in data security features
- Room to scale as you add more devices
- Power and connectivity requirements
Stick with reputable vendors, and favor devices with real security protocols and a firmware update track record. Cheap no-name hardware is cheap for a reason, and the reason is usually the software.
Preparing Your Network
Your current network probably wasn’t sized for an IoT deployment. Extra devices mean extra traffic, and that may mean more bandwidth, separate networks for the IoT gear, or dedicated gateways to handle communication between devices and the cloud. Sort this out before installation day, not during it.
Step 3: Build Security Into the IoT Deployment From Day One
Security is the part of an IoT deployment people postpone, and it’s the part that bites. A compromised device is a doorway into everything else on the network. Malware attacks on IoT devices jumped 77% in the first half of 2022 alone, and smart devices are attractive targets precisely because so many of them ship with weak defaults and never get patched.
Lock Down the Devices
Change every default password. Keep firmware current. Choose hardware that supports encryption and secure boot, and treat anything that can’t be updated as a temporary purchase.
Segment Your Network
Put IoT devices on their own network, separate from the systems that run your business. If a camera gets compromised, segmentation is what keeps that from becoming a conversation about your accounting server.
Add Network Access Control
Network access control, including multi-factor authentication where it applies, limits your network to devices you have actually approved. It also lets you enforce policy automatically instead of hoping everyone follows it.
Monitor and Maintain
Watch the network for unusual behavior, and keep security software and protocols updated. Smart devices are easy to forget about once they’re working, which is exactly why attackers like them.
Step 4: Deploy, Test, and Manage
With hardware chosen and protections in place, it’s time to install. Roll the IoT deployment out in stages rather than all at once — problems are much easier to isolate that way.
- Follow the manufacturer’s installation and configuration instructions carefully
- Test each device and confirm it works before integrating it fully into the network
- Write down a management plan covering maintenance, firmware updates, and monitoring — and name who owns it
Step 5: Keep Improving After Launch
An IoT deployment is never really finished, because the technology keeps moving and so do your needs.
Analyze the Data
Once the devices are live, actually look at what they’re telling you. The insight is the whole point, and it usually reveals a second problem worth solving.
Ask for Feedback
The people using these systems daily will spot friction you never will. Ask them, then adjust.
Stay Current
Keep an eye on where IoT is heading so you can take advantage of what’s new instead of being surprised by it. That includes new threats as much as new features.
Get Expert Help With Your IoT Deployment
Done well, smart devices give you visibility and efficiency you can measure. Done carelessly, they hand attackers a way in and leave you with hardware nobody owns. The difference is planning, segmentation, and someone maintaining it after launch.
That’s where we come in. eMDTec plans, secures, and manages the whole IoT deployment for small and mid-sized businesses, so you get the upside of smart devices without inheriting a new security problem.
This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.