Smart grids, smart cities, smart homes, smart factories,
smart buildings. The list goes on and on. Smart technology
advancements, driven by the internet of things (IoT)
and machine learning, are being introduced at a furious pace.
What is largely ignored, however, is how dumb security is
when it comes to making these so-called smart things work.
By understanding the current IoT, machine learning,
and emerging technology landscape, as well as popular
applications, ICT designers and installers can better evaluate
whether the unikernel security infrastructure is a viable
solution for their enterprise customers.
This discussion presumes that physical security per
ANSI/BICSI 005-2016, Electronic Safety and Security
(ESS) System Design and Implementation Best Practices
is followed, with the underlying knowledge that the rise
in intelligent buildings and digital smart applications makes
even the most stringent physical security measures still
an easy target for hackers and system attackers.
DATA, DATA, DATA
The proliferation of IoT devices throughout the physical world has
grown and amassed over the past decade. This, coupled with the
ever-increasing amount of data that these IoT devices generate
and the adoption of big data systems morphing into full machine
learning based software packages, has started an interesting
path — the path to the edge. Building automation systems (BAS),
as they incorporate ever more digital networks, have begun walking
down this path as well.
The modern intelligent building produces an astounding amount of
data and the impact of what can be done with it is immense. Currently,
a lot of that data is wasted. Even though some of it gets collected, rolled
up and sent to some server in the cloud to produce reports, the value
of this data decreases proportionally with time. There is a lot of value
if an IT manager or analyst were able to tap into this data in real time
and utilize it, but how does one connect the dots? It is easy to point
at things, like showing real time parking spot capacity, but what
about optimizing HVAC systems? What about optimizing boilers
and fan speeds? All of these work together in one massive system — the
intelligent building. From acting on real time air quality measurements
to lighting, BAS are inching closer and closer to the edge.
March/April 2019 I 29