Nov 30, 2016IoT challenges…all solved by Christmas?The Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group (BITAG) released a report titled “Internet of Things (IoT) Security and Privacy Recommendations” about a week ago that outlines their observations about the IoT and their recommended solutions. …Internet Of Things3 min read
Oct 29, 2016Why IoT is repeating mistakes of the pastWe don’t have an IoT security problem, we have a threat comprehension problem This week, everyone on the internet who styles themselves any kind of expert is talking about the Internet Of Things, and in particular “botnets” formed from thousands of poorly secured IoT devices, as a potential threat to the Internet. …Internet Of Things5 min read
Oct 22, 2016The Internet of Unmaintainable Things — putting the Botnet back in the bottleIn three previous articles I’ve written about the challenges of managing Internet of Things (IoT) rollout while minmising risk. Now the genie is out of the bottle, the Mirai Botnet today wreaked havoc by attacking a key DNS provider used by many major internet sites. There are a lot of…Internet Of Things4 min read
Oct 6, 2016The Internet of Unsafe Things — IoT Device Security PolicyBruce Schneier writes this article on IoT calling for a regulatory framework to enforce security standards in IoT devices where the market will not. I agree with his main point, the market will not fix the problem, because (cheap) bad security drives out good. I would add an amplification, however…Internet Of Things3 min read
Sep 11, 2016Chill out about the iPhone 7’s headphonesQuite a few people are worried that Apple’s latest product, the iPhone 7, lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack. I’m here to tell you, “Come on in, Wireless audio is fine!”. As someone who has used Bluetooth wireless headphones for nearly a decade, the death of the analog audio socket on…Apple3 min read
Aug 29, 2016IoT Challenges — The Internet of Insecure ThingsThree pointers on bringing the Internet of Things into your workplace without inviting chaos too — The “Internet of Things” is about tiny, cheap, ubiquitous devices that inhabit (some would say “infest”) your workplace and/or home, and quietly provide or display information. To help imagine how IoT will change our lives, I use the “coffee rule”. Think about something that wastes your time in the physical…Internet Of Things6 min read
Aug 23, 2016A mobile app is not just for ChristmasIf you are contemplating a smartphone app to complement your IoT product, remember, an App is for Life, not just for Christmas. A slapdash, barely usable, or unmaintained mobile application is probably worse than none at all. …Mobile App Development5 min read
Aug 18, 2016Pivoting, Training and TrustIt puzzles me when businesses decide to change their strategic direction and begin by laying off staff, while promising shareholders and the public that the savings will be “reinvested”. Most recently, Cisco has announced eliminating over 5000 staff (“positions”), 7% of their workforce, to shift focus toward IoT and Cloud…Management2 min read
Aug 15, 2016IoT Challenges — The Internet of Incompatible ThingsThree challenges that we’ll need to tackle unless we want the future of the IoT to to be a dumpster fire. — The Internet of things is here. To borrow a phrase from Gibson, it’s just not evenly distributed yet. From the right vantage point, you can observe enough of the future to forsee some looming problems. …Internet Of Things3 min read