THE WORLD HAS NEVER BEEN SO CONNECTED
The world has never been so connected, and even more devices will be connected to the Internet in the future. There are now as many as ten times more connected devices than people. We connect everything from smart watches, TVs and washing machines to industrial control systems, cars, traffic lights and much more.
Even though we have already so many connected devices, the trend will only continue. For example, there is currently an explosion in healthcare with doctors and nurses monitoring patients directly in their homes via smart sensors. Telemedicine is gaining widescale deployment.
The next big step for connected devices is likely to involve virtual worlds, and perhaps even more so when it comes to augmented reality. Linking together humans and machines has already begun, with people who have lost an arm, for example, being able to control an artificial arm directly via an interface with their brains.
While all these technologies offer fantastic opportunities, the number of connected devices combined with new technologies means that security has never been more important. With each new device or application connected, new vulnerabilities can arise.
Cybersecurity therefore needs to be an integral aspect of our projects, especially when developing new systems. Much also depends on how we behave when using IT systems and sharing information. One important thing to keep in mind is to update when there are new security patches, which you can read about in this issue of Stena Sphere.
