A wide array of different devices is making simple cybersecurity impossible. Even businesses that provide and control the technology employees use for business purposes have to tangle with different operating systems. Companies with more flexible BYOD policies or that use personal phones as the second device in two-factor authentication protocols have even more branching concerns. The Internet of Things, with its growing pervasiveness and novel collection of data, present even more risks that have to be monitored and protected against. Here is one central issue to keep in mind.

IoT devices don't have standardized operating systems.

Apple watches have an Apple-owned operating system, and, because they sync with other Apple devices, have some inbuilt degree of security. Relative equivalents, such as Fitbits, smart watches, and wearable technology don't always have the same infrastructure. While these devices do have some insight into your company's secured office (such as some aspects of the floor plan and a few details about the typical work schedule), they're personal devices and largely beyond the scope of your cybersecurity department.

But work devices in the Internet of Things can have the same vulnerabilities. The key fobs employees use to gain access to locked points are treasure troves of information. Not only do they contain an employee's distinct user code and their hierarchy of access, they might store clues about how the locking codes work (even the ones that fob doesn't provide access for). Even worse, the style of the data can give hackers insight into the programs you use and the more piercing details of your security system. 

Other devices, ranging from smart microphones the VoIP headsets that integrate with various operating systems but have their own company-unique systems, can be vulnerable to attack. If your firewalls and malware protections aren't built with specific operations in mind, or aren't robust enough to cover everything your office may be using, a single doorway can let something malicious onto the corporate network. Go to folio1 to learn more about managing your company's growing IoT device network and how to integrate it into your business operations.