Don’t let edge computing security concerns derail your plans

But, while central processing will continue to have a role in the enterprise, tantalizing business opportunities are increasingly out on the edge. The workplace efficiency of mobile devices, the possible safety gains from autonomous and computer-assisted driving, and the promise of enhanced efficiency through IoT have organizations jumping for joy as they envision all of those and even more technological possibilities.

By many indications, edge computing is poised to explode. Today, only about 20% of enterprise data is being produced and processed outside of centralized data centers, but Still, there’s no escaping that edge computing is, after all, at a distance from centralized control and thus a great source of worry for the C-suite. Envision a transportation company with thousands of telemetric devices out in the field collecting troves of data on vehicle performance and driver safety. Or picture an energy company with thousands of IoT sensors on hundreds of windmills spread out on a desolate landscape. The possibility of physical and virtual tampering of such a large array of devices makes edge computing security an unshakable concern.

Alan Mindlin, technical manager for electronics manufacturing services provider Morey, advises worried organizations to first review the security strength of all edge-related devices that handle data at rest and in motion.

“There’s already a fair amount of encryption in the storage of a device. So, a bad actor can’t crack it open and read the memory, and there is encryption on data that is sent. Starting there helps determine your position,” Mindlin said.

Essentially, follow the data trail on the edge “Whatever local devices there are at that location, ideally, there should be attestation … and some assurance of proof of identity” through network access control, MacDonald said.