A New Era of Enterprise IoT Connectivity: Key Considerations

Rapid IoT advances aren’t just raising questions about how businesses can streamline operations and usher in innovations, but also how security concerns can be effectively addressed.

Industrial enterprises need tools to ensure their data remains secure in this new era of enterprise IoT connectivity. Read on as we consider edge computing technologies, centralized cloud computing, and other security measures that can help safeguard your IoT deployments.

Common IoT Challenges for Enterprises

Industrial enterprises adopt IoT for enhanced efficiency, predictive maintenance, and real-time data analysis. However, this adoption comes with its own set of challenges, such as ensuring cybersecurity.

The cybersecurity concerns of IoT ecosystems stem from the diverse and extensive network of interconnected devices, each representing a potential attack surface. Industrial environments often feature a mix of new IoT devices and older industrial control systems (ICS), which were not all designed initially with internet connectivity in mind. If left unaddressed, this discrepancy creates vulnerabilities and increases an organization’s susceptibility to ransomware attacks, cyber espionage, and other prevalent threats.

The Role of Edge Computing

Edge computing works to alleviate network congestion by processing data at or near its source rather than sending it across long network paths to data centers or clouds. The result is reduced latency, optimized bandwidth, improved security, and increased operational efficiency.

Furthermore, edge computing solutions work to enhance IoT efficiency and decrease operational costs via several key mechanisms:

• Immediate data processing: Local data processing, as facilitated by edge computing, enables faster decision-making. This is particularly beneficial for time-sensitive industrial processes where delays can lead to inefficiencies or hazards.
• Reduced data transfer costs: Transferring large volumes of data over networks tends to be costly. Edge computing minimizes these costs by analyzing and processing data locally, thus reducing the amount of data that requires transmission to centralized centers.
• Enhanced security and compliance: By processing sensitive data locally, edge computing reduces the risk of data breaches during transit.

Edge computing offers an innovative yet tried-and-true approach to IoT connectivity — helping to ensure that data is processed efficiently, securely, and in compliance with corporate policies.

The Role of Centralized Cloud Computing

As IoT devices grow in prevalence, IT teams can manage and mitigate IoT connectivity interferences from anywhere. Centralized IoT network management infrastructure and platforms allow just that: IT teams can remotely gain complete network visibility, troubleshoot and address interferences, and ultimately ensure the security and integrity of the entire IoT ecosystem.

Additional IoT Security Measures

Ensuring your edge computing router provides end-to-end security is critical. These devices must operate on the principle that every device and user attempting to connect to the network is thoroughly authenticated. They also work to enhance data encryption, whether the data is in transit or at rest. Furthermore, through their robust security features and detailed logging capabilities, enterprise-grade edge computing routers can enforce the intrusion prevention security policies of large enterprises or service provider networks.

Transform Your Business Now

Optimized for both edge and cloud computing industrial environments, Perle’s 4G and 5G cellular routers and gateways facilitate rapid data processing — reducing latency and enhancing real-time response capabilities.

With the ability to connect industrial, remote data logging, and sensing equipment to process IoT data at the edge and its comprehensive cloud deployment and management capabilities, Perle’s cellular offers industrial enterprises a comprehensive, reliable, and security solution for their IoT connectivity needs.

Learn more about Perle’s 4G and 5G cellular routers and gateways here.