Having enough network capacity to handle the demand that will accompany an anticipated explosion in the number of connected devices remains a concern for enterprises as they prepare for the Internet of things (IOT) opportunities.
So says Chris Marrison, consulting solutions architect at networking solutions provider Infoblox, who notes there is a tremendous amount of buzz around IOT.
Infoblox, in partnership with ITWeb, is conducting an online IOT Survey to gain valuable insight into the IOT strategies within South African organisations.
"This survey is designed to gauge opportunities and challenges surrounding the IOT and assess whether enterprise networks in SA are ready for a surge in IOT deployments," says Marrison.
He says the IOT will revolutionise manufacturing, agriculture, medicine, as well as our daily lives. Nonetheless, he notes the IOT relies on networks, and networking technologies are deployed and managed by people - network administrators, in particular. Yet in recent years network administrators have been asked to "do more with less" - less budget, and a smaller staff.
"I have spoken with many customers who initially said they had no IOT devices whatsoever. When pressed, though, and given concrete examples - networked badge readers, surveillance systems, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, cash registers, vending machines, and so on - most realised they already had at least a nascent IOT infrastructure."
Marrison says he has encountered few IT organisations that have deployed any infrastructure specifically for IOT, from dedicated networks to management systems. Since, in most cases, no dedicated network infrastructure exists, most IT organisations relegate IOT devices to existing networks.
"I find that most organisations simply dump IOT devices on existing guest wireless networks, which usually provide Internet access (which many 'things' require). However, guest wireless networks usually don't allow access to internal resources like domain controllers, database and file servers, which other IOT devices need, and they provide little or no authentication, unpredictable performance, and no prioritisation of traffic, all of which are required by some categories of these devices," says Marrison.
"Despite the varied requirements of these IOT devices, many IT organisations I've met with described having 'things' that are 'thrown over the wall' for deployment, well after another business unit had made the purchasing decision," Marrison says.
He goes on to say he believes this difficulty in implementation isn't surprising.
"From our customers, we've learnt that IOT devices aren't that smart. Many lack a user interface, making configuration a challenge."
Marrison believes the collection of useful and reliable data is another trend.
"We come across this phenomenon all the time. When companies have grown and kept on adding systems. They then struggle to aggregate this data into a meaningful dataset from which decisions can be made."
Marrison also points out that many systems are not easily upgradeable. Many are designed for consumer, rather than enterprise deployment, and lack tools and features required for enterprise use.
"A university network administrator told me about dorm networks with hundreds of Apple TVs-making Apple's Remote iOS app nearly useless, because it presents you with a list of those hundreds of Apple TVs to choose from. Some 'things' are just designed poorly."
Marrison concludes by advising the IOT makes it harder for IT leaders to stay in the loop when devices are added to enterprise networks, much as the BYOD trend has seen employees bringing personal devices to work without prior IT department approval.
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