Lack of trust holds back IoT, says US report
- October 23, 2024
- Steve Rogerson
A lack of trust is holding back IoT adoption, according to the IoT Advisory Board, managed by the US National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST).
The 16 members of the board have completed their report on barriers to the USA receiving the benefits of IoT adoption, along with their recommendations for overcoming those problems.
“The USA is in the early stages of a profound transformation, one that is driven by economic, societal, and cultural innovations brought about by the IoT,” said Benson Chan, chair, and Dan Caprio, vice chair of the IoT Advisory Board. “These innovations intertwine connectivity and digital innovation with the opportunity to drive a revolutionary metamorphosis across all parts of our nation.”
One impediment to IoT adoption is a lack of trust in IoT. The report included the following findings about IoT adoption identified in the report:
- Insufficient skilled workers are available to develop, integrate, deploy, operate and maintain IoT devices, systems and applications.
- IoT systems depend on chips sourced through vulnerable global supply chains.
- Establishing trust in IoT requires a multi-dimensional ecosystem perspective, extending beyond cyber security and privacy.
- Privacy concerns undermine trust in IoT and are a significant barrier to widescale adoption.
- IoT cyber-security concerns are a major barrier to widescale adoption.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) is critical to unlocking and accelerating the value of IoT, but significant problems must be addressed.
In response to the report findings, the IoT Advisory Board made 104 recommendations grouped into six themes: unlock the IoT enabled economy; facilitate adoption; modernise infrastructure; establish trust; foster an IoT-ready workforce; and government leadership.
While every theme included recommendations related to cyber security, privacy, interoperability and standards, the establish trust and fostering an IoT-ready workforce themes highlighted these areas in a fundamental way.
“Establishing trust in IoT is crucial for widespread adoption and public confidence,” says the report. “Secure, private and reliable operation of interconnected devices is essential to achieve such trust. Trust is earned and kept when IoT devices and systems remain secure from unauthorised access, data are kept safe and used as intended, algorithms are accurate and explainable, and produced outcomes are safe, consistent and reliable.”
The recommendations across this theme focus on addressing the range of cyber-security, privacy and supply-chain integrity difficulties across the IoT ecosystem.
To foster an IoT-ready workforce involves integrating the future IoT workforce’s needs into existing initiatives and programmes, collaborating with industry, academia, and state and local governments to align educational and training efforts with the evolving demands of the IoT sector, ensuring a well-prepared and adaptable workforce.
As this report was under development, the lack of a skilled workforce came up as a barrier to IoT adoption in multiple market sectors from manufacturing to implementing smart communities to agriculture. The report recommends a focus on the need for a workforce with cyber-security and privacy expertise and the skills needed to integrate and maintain IoT products in complex environments.
This report has been delivered to the IoT Federal Working Group for their review and consideration, and NIST encourages those interested in the transformational possibilities of IoT to review the report.
The report can be found at www.nist.gov/document/internet-things-advisory-board-report.