The evolution of the IoT edge
The edge is evolving from being a collection of passive data consumers to data producers running mission critical business applications. The edge is where business gets done.
Fueling this momentum is the deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) applications that will generate greater than $267B annually by 2020.
IoT will also exponentially increase the number of connected “things” leading to an explosive amount of data at the edge. By 2025, IoT will generate over 2 zettabytes of data.
Consider this: The world’s cumulative internet usage reached 1 Zettabyte in September 2016. It took 40 years to get there!
IOT puts the spotlight on Data Security and Edge Computing
Why does IoT put the spotlight on edge computing?
Manufacturing, Energy, Transportation and Healthcare require local processing and real-time analysis of IoT data. The spotlight is on edge computing because it enables real-time processing of data where it is created. Data does not have to travel over a network or to the cloud for processing. Edge computing provides actionable insights that will lead to operational efficiencies, cost savings and greater customer satisfaction.
IoT, edge computing and data security—let’s connect the dots
IoT deployments pose a unique security challenge. Much of the IOT value resides at the edge, where organizations collect their most sensitive information. IoT puts intelligence, computing and storage in environments (e.g. a manufacturing floor, an oil rig, a car or a healthcare device), not designed for data security. Per Gartner—by 2020, greater than 25% of enterprise security attacks will involve the Internet of Things.
Enterprises deploying mission-critical IoT applications at the edge, need to ask themselves this:
#1 Is my data protected?
#2 Who can access my data?
#3 Can I recover my data in the event of a disaster?
Riverbed SteelFusion secures IoT at the edge
- Minimize data footprint at the edge – Riverbed SteelFusion includes an Intelligent Storage Cache. This stores only the data needed by applications and users at the edge. A true copy of data is maintained securely in the datacenter.
- Data Security with encryption – Riverbed SteelFusion ensures safety of data at rest and data in-flight. SteelFusion uses AES 256-bit encryption compliant with FIPS140-2 standards
- Data protection with Role Based Access Control – Identity and access is critical path today. Riverbed SteelFusion Role-based access control (RBAC) uses industry authentication such as Active Directory, TACAS, and Radius. This helps to regulate access to network resources
- Disaster Recovery with aggressive RPO and RTO: In the event of a catastrophe that requires a complete rebuild, Riverbed SteelFusion can spin up new sites with near real-time RPO and RTO
- Disaster Recovery with Snapshot – Riverbed SteelFusion Snapshot can recover the VM’s most recent OS and application configuration. IT needs to restore only the most recent data files. For instance, it’s the last “good” backup in the case of a malware attack
To balance the promise of IoT—connected applications with the potential security challenges will continue to be a megatrend in the years to come. Riverbed SteelFusion provides defense-in-depth with data protection and disaster recovery in the digital transformation of the edge.
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