Kuboushek 1

Matthew Kuboushek

CIT217 Networking Management

Professor Drew Burken

11/8/2016

Networking Course Paper: Getting to know the Internet of Things

A new development is occurring that will have a sizeable impact on the way the internet

is used. It will cause a shift in the way economies behave and force businesses to change the way

they operate in order to stay competitive. Along with it, people will obtain a new kind of control

over their environment. Benefits from this new system will affect nearly every part of people’s

lives such as health, lifestyle, and even the time it takes to get to work. This new development is

of course The Internet of Things (IoT): an exciting new concept created from developments in

computer networking. IoT already exists in a relatively nascent form and has been used to

generate positive results; although the application of the IoT must overcome various challenges,

future benefits look promising.

IoT utilizes the same networking capabilities that makes the internet possible and applies

them to nearly everything. According to Lopez Research, “IoT describes a system where items in

the physical world, and sensors within or attached to these items, are connected to the Internet

via wireless and wired Internet connections.1” Just as the internet allows people to share videos,

make online purchases, and otherwise share information from one computer to another, the IoT

allows people and machines to communicate with and direct other physical objects connected to

the network. When one stops to consider all the applications this technology can have, the IoT

1
http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/solutions/trends/iot/introduction_to_IoT_november.pdf
 Kuboushek 2

takes stature of something that will have as strong of an effect on everyone’s lives as the

discovery of antibiotics had on the field of medicine.

Some of the objects that can be hooked-up to the IoT include consumer goods such as

refrigerators, fitness trackers, and entertainment systems. Take for example the Samsung Family

HubTM refrigerator. This refrigerator has a built in touchscreen that allows users to view the

inside of the refrigerator, display upcoming schedules, and stream music.2 It can also be linked to

the user’s smartphone so they can quickly check what they need when they go to the grocery

store and if the user changes her schedule from her smartphone she can see her new itinerary the

next time she goes to the kitchen for a glass of milk.3

Samsung’s refrigerator is just one example; the applications for IoT, even using today’s

technology, are about as diverse as the imagination of the engineers working in the tech industry.

According to Lopez research, “the IoT will be use to connect inanimate and living things, use

sensors for data collection, [and] change what types of item [sic] communicate over an IP

network.4” Basically anything that has room for a power supply, small processor, and

transmitter/receiver can become part of the internet and whatever this entity can find out can be

shared over the internet in order to the improve situational awareness decision-makers. Hospitals

can use fitness trackers to better understand the health of their patients, logging companies can

quickly determine the condition of their long-lived equipment, and banks can use information

gathered on the spending habits of people from IoT-linked point of sale stations to assess the

credit-worthiness of home buyers.

2
http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/family-hub-refrigerator/
3
ibid
4
http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/solutions/trends/iot/introduction_to_IoT_november.pdf
 Kuboushek 3

Certain forms of the IoT already exist and have been used in industry to generate positive

outcomes. Harvard Business Review conducted a survey to determine what benefits early-

adopters of certain forms the IoT have seen so far: “62 percent say IoT somewhat increased or

significantly increased their customer responsiveness, 58 percent say it increased collaboration

within the business, 54 percent credit it with increasing market insight, and 54 percent believe it

increased employee productivity.5” The IoT is certainly bringing economic benefits to bare but

several challenges prevent the IoT receiving wider acceptance.

Some of the challenges facing the IoT are security concerns, privacy concerns, and other

concerns resulting from the untested nature of the IoT. Security has always been a major concern

in the networking world and the IoT creates a whole new arena for hackers to gain access

sensitive information or even gain control of physical objects connected to the IoT. Eric Brown,

in an article written for Linux, detailed some of the risks that come from having IoT enabled

devices linked-up to a cloud component: “. . . a cloud connection also expands the potential for

corporate information harvesting, or even worse, black hats gaining access to the cloud platform

to steal personal information or attack systems such as security and heating systems. 6” In effect,

if hackers gained access to someone’s cloud they could shut-off security cameras, unlock doors,

or overheat the facilities. Another security risk arises from the fact that for every IoT enabled

device there is a new point-of-entry into the network running the device. Hackers therefore have

more opportunities to break into network using the many gateways created by additional

devices.7 And because IoT enabled devices can be nearly anything—such as an object that

5
https://hbr.org/resources/pdfs/comm/verizon/18980_HBR_Verizon_IoT_Nov_14.pdf
6
https://www.linux.com/news/who-needs-internet-things
7
https://hbr.org/2013/06/rethinking-security-for-the-in
 Kuboushek 4

cannot be locked away safely—users need to physically harden the device from attack.8 The

security risks created by the IoT may keep many people from adopting the new technology.

Privacy concerns may also lead people to avoid adopting the new technology. The IoT

can connect several different sensors together to a central hub where that information can be

used to influence decisions; if this capacity is applied to sensor that collect information on people

suddenly the IoT can become a somewhat rude device. Hospitals can know about a person’s

current medical condition without the client telling them or person can learn about the medical

state of their parents without asking them. This kind surveillance bothers some people according

to Eric Brown, “Home surveillance may make it easier to keep tabs on pets, small children, and

the elderly, but it also makes it easier to spy on each other, threatening traditional bonds of

trust.9” The IoT also opens users up to increased data mining exposure. Companies with the

ability to process large amounts of data can examine the data created by IoT enabled devices to

the discomfort of the users of these devices.

The IoT comes with other risks as well. The IoT is new relatively untested and not as

well understood as many possible users are comfortable with. One of the problems is the lack of

standards. No one has codified very many rules about how the IoT is supposed to work. At a

conference dedicated to the IoT when the topic of which protocols to run came up the panel

responded, “Our opinion is that for the next few years, multiple protocols are going to be a

reality.10” possible users of the IoT may be dissuaded from investing in a system if try will have

to deal with a system that may not be supported shortly after adopting it. Additionally, the

government has not yet gotten around to codifying laws for regulation of IoT devices. For

8
https://www.linux.com/news/securing-embedded-linux
9
https://www.linux.com/news/who-needs-internet-things
10
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/14/the_internet_of_things_a_jumbled_mess_or_a_jumbled_mess/
 Kuboushek 5

example, the FCC needs to reassess how they will assign sections of the electromagnetic

spectrum for use in IoT devices.11 Companies will be reluctant to adopt IoT enabled networks if

the system they adopt becomes incompatible with possible changes in regulations.

In spite of the challenges facing full adoption of the IoT, the possible benefits of its

application are impressive. Current industries alone stand to gain much from the IoT. In a white

paper issued by Cognizant, several benefits were listed such as improved asset utilization

through better tracking of assets, more efficient processes through better operational insights

provided by sensors, and improved productivity by providing better labor efficiency.12 Cognizant

went on to say that the IoT is expected to “increase revenues across industries by $14 trillion

in the coming decade, which will likely result in a 21% increase in global corporate profits by

2022.”13 The IoT also promises a lot in the form of so-called smart cities. A smart city is a city

that uses information gathered by sensors and monitors linked via the IoT to improve the living

conditions, energy efficiency, and infrastructure quality of the city. A smart city could

automatically monitor air quality and send its readings to residents so they can act accordingly.14

A smart city could also monitor traffic automatically and quickly reroute drivers to avoid

accidents.15 A smart city could even monitor the parking within the city to determine how

available parking spaces are in various parts of the city.16 The possible smart city of the future

could have tremendous consequences for the way people live their lives.

11
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-
D/Conferences/GSR/Documents/GSR2015/Discussion_papers_and_Presentations/GSR_DiscussionPaper_IoT.pdf
12
https://www.cognizant.com/InsightsWhitepapers/Reaping-the-Benefits-of-the-Internet-of-Things.pdf
13
ibid
14
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-
D/Conferences/GSR/Documents/GSR2015/Discussion_papers_and_Presentations/GSR_DiscussionPaper_IoT.pdf
15
ibid
16
ibid
 Kuboushek 6

In spite of the challenges preventing full application of the IoT such as security and

privacy concerns, the IoT will surely have a profound effect on the economy and human

lifestyles in the future and is currently exacting changes today with innovations like the Family

HubTM fridge by Samsung.