Instructor: Now in addition to
standard computers and servers,
there are many other devices that utilize our networks,
and these make up the Internet of Things.
The term Internet of Things is used to describe
a global network of appliances and personal devices
that have been equipped with sensors,
software and network connectivity
to report state and configuration data.
These IoT devices can be managed remotely
over an IP network, like the internet as well.
You've probably seen, or even used
some of these devices yourself,
including building and home automation systems,
heating, ventilation and air conditioning controllers,
IP video systems, audio visual systems,
physical access control systems,
and scientific and industrial equipment.
Building and home automation systems
are going to focus on the management of lighting,
HVAC, water and security systems.
These systems efficiently manage all the devices
in real time to save money on utility costs
and to increase the comfort of a building's occupants.
It's important to remember all these systems
that may be fielded across your office buildings
to ensure they aren't having any interference issues
with other wireless devices you may be operating,
as well as those devices making sure
their properly security enabled
and that the power is being provided to those devices
using power over ethernet or a battery power supply.
While these systems can sometimes be placed
on our business network to increase the manageability
of that system, it is not considered a good idea,
and it goes against the best practices.
Instead, devices like this should be placed
on their own network and segmented off
from the business network.
If you need an example to prove to your CIO
why you need a separate network for these devices,
just look back to 2014 and the breach at Target.
This is where hackers broke into the business network
by exploiting a flaw in the HVAC controller system,
and then they use that to gain access
to the point-of-sale network
and steal credit card information.
Trust me, segregation of IoT devices is critically important
for the security of your business network.
Now internet protocol or IP video systems
are another type of IoT device you may come across.
These IP video systems provide businesses
with an excellent method of remote collaboration
using systems like video teleconference suites and Skype.
The capability has saved organizations
a ton of money for travel
because employees can now conduct meetings virtually
over a synchronous IP based video stream
from their conference room,
instead of having to fly across the country
to have an in-person meeting.
Now, when you're implementing an IP video system,
you need to consider the level of quality
of service you want, or QoS, that's going to be required
for that system to operate smoothly.
Also, these video streaming suites
do require a lot of bandwidth,
so that has to be factored into your network architecture
as you're designing them.
Plus these systems can actually cost
a lot of money up front.
For example, one conference room based IP video solution
I installed at one of my previous organizations,
cost us nearly $25,000 for the equipment and installation.
These systems also require security patches,
and they must be considered as part of your
organization's security posture.
Your organization's audio video systems
can also be connected by using IP networks as well.
For example, the High-Definition Serial Digital Interface
is used to stream live video productions across the globe,
or across the building.
In many security operations centers,
there's going to be multiple displays all around the room,
and they're all being essentially controlled and routed
through a digital video switching system
that runs over an IP network.
Again, this network for this video system
should be physically separated
or logically separated from your production network.
Now physical access control systems,
such as proximity readers, access control systems,
security cameras, and biometric readers,
can also all communicate over the IP networks.
These devices are used to determine
if somebody should be granted access
into a secure room by communicating back
to the authentication server over that IP network.
Due to the high security these devices need to provide,
they should be placed on a separate network
that has additional protections beyond the standard
organization's business network.
Scientific and industrial equipment devices
are going to be found in hospitals,
factories, and laboratories.
These devices used to be unconnected, but over the years
they began the migration onto our IP networks too,
allowing for centralized monitoring
and management of all these devices.
These devices though can pose significant risk
to our network because they cannot easily be
upgraded or patched when there's bugs that are discovered.
Therefore it is crucial to provide them their own
physical or logical network so they can remain
isolated from the rest of our business network.
Now, when you're looking at different IoT devices,
you can generally break them down
into one of four categories of components.
This is either the hub and control system,
the smart devices, the wearables, or the sensors.
Now hub and control system is going
to be used as a central point of communication
for many automation and controlling of those IoT devices,
because many of them rely on different protocols,
like Z-Wave and Zigbee for networking,
instead of relying on things like
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
To make this work, your IoT devices need a control system
or a smart hub for the different devices and sensors
that are going to be connected to them.
For example, if you have an Amazon Echo in your home,
this is a perfect example of a hub and control system
that can be used to control
all of your other smart devices and sensors.
Next, we have smart devices and these are the IoT endpoints,
they're going to connect back to that central hub
or control system to provide you
with some kind of automation or function.
For example, if you have a smart light bulb,
a video doorbell, or a Nest thermostat,
these are all examples of smart devices.
In my studio for example, I use a wide variety
of smart devices to control my environment,
including a smart thermostat to control the temperature,
smart light bulbs that allow me to
control the color and tone of the lighting,
and smart outlets that allow me to turn on
or turn off various devices around my studio
using simply my voice.
For example, if I tell my smart system
to get ready for filming,
it's going to turn on my camera, my lights, my air conditioner
and all the other equipment I need to begin recording.
If instead I tell it to get ready for podcasts,
it's going to power down everything that I don't need
to record an audio podcast,
and instead set me up for audio recording only.
This is a convenient way for me to save time
and saving me having to turn on 10 or 15 different devices
located all around my studio.
Third, we have wearables.
Wearables are a category of IoT devices
that are designed as accessories that can be worn.
This includes smart watches, bracelets, fitness trackers,
smart glasses, and headsets.
Basically, a wearable is just a smart device
that is designed to be worn,
otherwise it's just considered another smart device
in a different form factor.
Now the fourth category we have is known as a sensor.
Now an IoT sensor can be used to measure
lots of different things, including temperature,
sound, light, humidity, pressure, proximity,
motion, smoke, fire, heart rates, and many other things.
Again, your smart devices, wearables
and sensors could all connect back
to that central hub and control system
using a variety of communication methods to send their data.
Now, this includes things like Z-Wave, Zigbee
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, depending on the capabilities
of your specific hub and control system.