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Trusted security for an interconnected world

Author: Isabelle Noblanc, UL VP & GM - Identity Management & Security

We tend to think of “smart city” as a futuristic concept but in fact, the cities we live in are already “smart” with countless devices interconnected – from transport information systems, electronic parking meters, surveillance meters to advertising displays. We can already use our voice to control our connected home and our cars are equipped with hundreds of sensors in the dashboards and RFIDs tags in the tyres.

Being connected is ingrained in everything we do through daily use of smart devices that we for example control via our mobile phone or voice.  As more devices, appliances, vehicles, infrastructure and other objects come online and begin to share data with one another, they are creating an interconnected ecosystem that can make life safer, more productive and more convenient. The continuous rise of these IoT innovations to make the interconnected world a reality has led to an astonishing increase in smart devices around us. And they’re having a huge impact on consumers, businesses, brands and society as a whole.

Today, many organizations are expanding their use cases and deploying increasingly interconnected products. With billions of smart devices connecting with each other the security implications are paramount. Interconnectivity results in more data traveling over your network, which needs to be secured.

Most organizations currently address the risks associated with an interconnected world differently per region, product or business line. However, IoT is beginning to force many organizations to reassess this approach because much of the data generated is actually held or accessed by third parties. IoT is complex by nature and its interconnectivity results in a complex system of connected devices which opens many new attack angles, - even if each device is secure when used independently. Since a system’s most vulnerable point determines its overall security level, a comprehensive, end-to-end approach is critical.

The integration of devices, IoT platforms and their infrastructures sparks a need to ensure appropriate access to resources across increasingly diverse technology environments. Identifying who is who and what is what online becomes the basis for digital business. Business transparency, openness and IoT’s enablement at the edge are making identity and the authentication of that identity the new perimeter. In the end, strong and intelligent identity management strengthens security, governance and regulatory compliance. The security practice around identity management is increasingly business-aligned and supports businesses to become more agile in enabling innovative digital initiatives. With network and organizational boundaries disappearing, identity management and security have become the primary factor in improving user experience by securely connecting the right people and the right ''things'' to critical data and resources.

As businesses embrace the digitization of devices, vehicles and other physical elements we are moving towards a highly interconnected world. With access to so many goods, services and so much information, we believe it all comes down to trust.  At UL, we have made it our business to empower trust and play a key role in this transformation to an interconnected world.
As the leading security authority, we proactively work with businesses to rethink security and implement trusted security solutions which are mission-critical in an interconnected world.

If your organization is exploring interconnected solutions, we invite you to talk to one of our trusted security experts today.