With more and more IoT devices becoming available, it can be very tempting to take advantage of their capabilities and incorporate them into your business. However, like all other business decisions, poor planning can lead to serious consequences. A recent entrepreneur.com article suggests some common mistakes business owners should try to avoid when it comes to the implementation of IoT devices for their organizations.
First and foremost, don’t be cheap. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Cheap IoT devices are extremely dangerous because they usually lack any sort of built in security and don’t offer regular security updates which makes them vulnerable to hackers. Therefore, while choosing the IoT devices for your business, it is important that you choose ones that offer security patches and updates, and make sure to update the default username and password of the device to stronger login credentials. In addition to selecting devices that offer patches and updates, you need to take advantage of them! If you let your device become outdated it can create a security hole in your organization, which can be catastrophic due to the nature of IoT devices being interconnected with an array of different devices.
It is also important to remember why you are implementing these devices in the first place, which is to improve business functions and increase productivity. Therefore, you shouldn’t invest in a device just because other businesses are using it, or it seems like a cool gadget. Instead, you should have a goal in place and establish metrics to measure the effectiveness of each one of your IoT devices. Furthermore, it is important to make sure your employees understand how to use the devices to best increase productivity and understand the problems these devices can cause if used improperly or in a careless manner. If your organization has a BYOD policy, they should be required to stay on top of patches and updates for their own devices to avoid breaches of devices that give criminals access to confidential company information.
Finally, don’t count on your IoT devices being connected 100% of the time. Power outages and internet crashes are common, and you should make sure the devices have the ability to operate offline which will allow you to continue to function and experience the same level of productivity while the internet is down.
As always, OptfinITy is here to answer any questions you may have related to technology. If you have any questions about the use of IoT devices for your organization don’t hesitate to give us a call at 703-790-0400, send us an email at info@optfinity.com, or visit our website at www.optfinity.com.
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