Slashdot Mirror


CIOs Spend a Third of Their Time On Security (enterprisersproject.com)

StewBeans writes: Much has been discussed about the potential security risks of an Internet of Things future in which billions of devices and machines are all talking to each other automatically. But the IoT market is exploding at a breakneck pace, leaving all companies scrambling to figure out the security piece of the puzzle now, before it's too late. In fact, some experts believe this issue will be what separates the winners from the losers, as security concerns either stop companies from getting into the IoT market, or delay existing IoT projects and leave the door open to swifter competition. That's likely why, according to CIO Magazine's annual survey, CIOs are spending a third of their time on security. Adam Dennison from CIO said, "If IT leaders want to embrace the sexy, new technologies they are hearing about today—the SMAC stack, third platform, Internet of Things, etc—security is going to be upfront and at the center of the discussion."

8 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Already solved by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm already using the most robust security model for the Internet of Things. I call it Things. My fridge doens't need an internet connection, nor does my light switch. My Smart TV thinks it does, but based on recent information I am in the process of removing that privelege.
    I think the difference between the winners and losers will be the CIO's that don't feel the urge to jump onto flavour of the month hype and connect everything to the Internet.
    The entire concept breaks the first rule of Engineering. Keep it fucking simple you fucking fucktards.

    1. Re:Already solved by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      My fridge doens't need an internet connection, nor does my light switch.

      You're quite correct, it doesn't.

      But you will buy and use an internet connected fridge and lightswitch and garage door opener anyway. Wanna know why?

      Because eventually you will need a new fridge, lightswitch, and garage door opener, and the only models sold will be IoT models. "I"ll just not connect them", you think. But they will refuse to operate if they can't phone home. We're already seeing the start of this trend today.

      Either you will go without a fridge, or you will use a connected IoT fridge with a software stack you are given no control over or ability to replace.

  2. Re:Really? by Darinbob · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It seems CIOs spend 10% of their time actually working, the rest of the time they're shmoozing with all the other entitled execs.

  3. Re:Not true - some spend no time at all by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Where Im at they solved the problem by

    1) Outsourcing security to a 3rd party vendor.
    2) Giving everyone in security full admin rights on all the servers and network equipment.

    When he was asked Why? He responded that by doing so, if anything happens, it is the 3rd party vendor who is to blame and not him.

    So we have security through "It's not may fault"

  4. This time will be DIFFERENT! by khasim · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And we really, really mean it this time! Security all the way!

    No. It won't be different. And they do NOT spend 1/3 of their time on security.

    Most of them don't even know what security is. Or why you cannot buy it. It's just another item on a checklist for them.

  5. CIOs will be rewarded for getting security wrong by roca · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Many CIOs will dive head-first into IoT, get a lot of good PR, stock prices will rise and they'll be rewarded. Then their companies will discover the IoT security nightmare, get lots of bad PR, stock prices will sink and the CIOs will blame it on someone else. Result: happy CIOs and IoT vendors and an absolute disaster for everybody else.

  6. Re:Really? by MyAlternateID · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Shmoozing with other execs, both within their company and outside it, is a very large part of the job description.

    Yes. From a sane viewpoint this is called cronyism, but in the current business environment this is called "networking".

  7. Re:Which Is To Say by dbIII · · Score: 3, Insightful

    architecting the Citrix solution that is going to propel the company into the brave future of 1998

    Don't knock it, many software developers haven't made it to where they should have been in 1998. We're still knee deep in 32bit single threaded applications. Fortunately most applications no longer need admin rights to run so at least they've made it to 1992.