The adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) and operational technology (OT) devices has exploded in recent years. However, while networked devices can increase efficiency and visibility into an organization’s operations, they also come with significant security risks that broaden an organization’s attack surface.

Consumer IoT devices are not known for their strong security, and long-lived OT devices may not have been designed with security in mind, introducing risk when they are connected to the network. As organizations continue to incorporate these devices into their networks, they need to balance the benefits they bring against the risks that they pose to data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Every device deployed on the corporate network expands the organization’s digital attack surface due to possible coding flaws, access management issues, and other vulnerabilities. IoT security is essential to mitigating the risks that these devices pose to the organization.