IoT Strategies that Won’t Put Your Business at Risk

The Internet of Things is growing at a rapid pace, and you have to take it into account if you want to maintain a safe and effective office infrastructure. Thankfully, you don’t have to do this alone; we’re here to help you with three key tips to help you get the most out of your Internet of Things devices without putting your organization at risk.

Consider Their Functionality

When it comes to the Internet of Things, there are countless opportunities to implement new solutions for your organization. Many appliances, for example, would now be considered Internet of Things devices, as they can connect to the Internet to make controlling them much easier and more efficient. Certain tasks can even be automated through the use of Internet of Things devices. Whatever you decide to use the IoT for, be sure that it is contributing to your operations in a meaningful way.

Work to Optimize Security

One effective way to protect your infrastructure from IoT devices is to partition off a portion of it specifically for these types of devices. The reasoning for doing this is simple: IoT devices are typically not the most secure devices, and because of their nature, they tend to share data with each other. By setting up a network where they can thrive, you can protect the other, more important assets that your business holds. Furthermore, we recommend implementing some sort of access control for your IoT devices or protocol for bringing them to the workplace. This helps to limit the damage they can do should something happen.

Are They Necessary?

Finally, the million-dollar question; are the IoT devices you want to implement even necessary for your business to thrive? The answer to this question is not always obvious and may take some diving to figure out, but the long and short of it is that the more connected devices are on a network, the more at-risk that network will be. It also means that the network will gradually grow and become more complicated as time wears on, and more complicated networks tend to experience greater numbers of problems. You should only be implementing IoT devices on your network if they are providing you a real return on your investment or are sufficiently streamlining operations.

Washington Works can help your business ensure that the Internet of Things doesn’t sink your business in any sense of the word. Whether you are simply trying to protect your infrastructure or streamline operations, we can help you determine the best path forward for your business. To learn more, reach out to us at 301-571-5040.