I am incredibly excited to announce that I have joined the Device Authority team this week as a VP Sales and Business Development for North America. Having been involved for many years now within the IoT industry, I understand the significance of cybersecurity gaps and challenges surrounding devices deployed for critical infrastructure which directly affects everyone. Whether it be the energy we rely on, the water we drink, the food we eat or the manufacturing facilities that create the solutions we consume in our everyday lives. I was compelled to join Device Authority to help bring their leading IoT security solutions to the Industrial IoT markets to protect what affects our very existence.
The Internet of Industrial Things (IIoT) spans over several areas and can often include:
- Smart Factories
- Manufacturing Plants
- Industrial Devices
- Supply Chains
- Oil & Gas
- Energy
- Utilities
IIoT harnesses smart sensors and networking technology to monitor and connect industrial equipment and environments. At its simplest, this might mean sensors that measure warehouse temperature and transmit it back to head office for on-going monitoring. At its most complex, this might mean an entire manufacturing process in which every separate machine record and shares a complex set of data, from levels of consumables to number of operations undertaken – this data is then used to inform product development, marketing campaigns, maintenance operations and more.
All of this has huge industrial potential, helping organizations to drive efficiencies and increase innovation. But connectivity of previously isolated endpoints brings risks.
With the latest attack on the Colonial Pipeline, the evidence becomes even more real that whether it be our energy, power or utilities grid including vicious hacking attacks towards the wind, solar and water sectors the need to provide a stronger cybersecurity program to the Edge is critical to protect your way of life. On manufacturing floors whether it be our food supply such as what happened with JDA or at an automotive plant where connected cars with self-driving functionality is becoming mainstream, we are seeing a significant uptick in attacks being launched through IoT devices as the primary doorway.
You can find out more about me by reading this news story or connecting with me on LinkedIn.
