INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT)

Description

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

Telecommunication Engineering Centre(TEC), under Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, has released a report “Code of Practice for Securing Consumer Internet of Things(IoT)” as a baseline requirement aligned with global standards and best practices.

Aim

This report is intended for use by IoT device manufacturers, Service providers/ system integrators and application developers etc.
To create an eco-system is to be created for 5 billion connected devices by 2022.

What is IoT?

The internet of things, or IoT, is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people.
All these are provided with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
A thing in the internet of things can be a person with a heart monitor implant, a farm animal with a biochip transponder, an automobile that has built-in sensors to alert the driver when tire pressure is low or any other natural or man-made object that can be assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address and is able to transfer data over a network.

Importance of IoT

The internet of things helps people live and work smarter, as well as gain complete control over their lives.
In addition to offering smart devices to automate homes, IoT is essential to business.
IoT provides businesses with real-time insights into everything from the performance of machines to supply chain and logistics operations.
IoT enables companies to automate processes and reduce labor costs.
It also cuts down on waste and improves service delivery, making it less expensive to manufacture and deliver goods, as well as offering transparency into customer transactions.

Pros and Cons of IoT

Final Thoughts

Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the fastest emerging technologies across the globe, providing enormous beneficial opportunities for society, industry, and consumers.
As per the National Digital Communication Policy (NDCP) 2018 released by Department of Telecommunications (DoT), an eco-system is to be created for 5 billion connected devices by 2022.
Therefore, it is expected that around 60% of 5 billion i.e. 3 billion connected devices may exist in India by 2022.
As the number of connected devices continues to rise, our living and working environments will become filled with smart products – assuming we are willing to accept the security and privacy trade-offs.
The recently released guidelines will help in securing consumer IoT devices & ecosystem as well as managing vulnerabilities.
The privacy and security implications of such an evolution should be carefully considered to the promising technology.