61 percent of companies now use IoT platforms

A new report from Kaspersky shows 61 percent of companies globally have implemented IoT applications as the technology benefits businesses with savings, new income streams and increased production efficiency.

But 28 percent of organizations have experienced cybersecurity incidents targeted at connected devices, highlighting the need to protect IoT technology.

The report shows that the use of IoT platforms has increased in almost all industries from 2018 to 2019, with the most significant growth occurring in hospitality (53 percent to 63 percent), healthcare (56 percent to 66 percent) and finance (60 percent to 68 percent). As of 2019, the IT and telecoms (71 percent) and finance (68 percent) industries have embraced IoT more than all other sectors.

IoT sensors and smart devices collect terabytes of data, including sensitive information such as business data or customers' personal information. Additionally, IoT platforms can be connected to critical systems like traffic, power or transportation processes, so it's vital to ensure their security, continuity and integrity.

"IoT is a powerful business enabler, but to reap its benefits, organizations need to put in a considerable amount of effort," says Grigory Sizov, head of Kaspersky's OS business unit. "It demands dedicated business processes and expertise to ensure it is effectively implemented. As the survey shows, cybersecurity is also a question that needs resolving in the IoT space when it comes to security of equipment, technical and organizational protection measures, data privacy, etc. It is important to consider security at an early stage of IoT implementation, and we want to help our customers address this task by developing IoT security solutions and expertise within Kaspersky."

The full report is available on the Kaspersky site.

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