Without question, the Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to greatly accelerate the rate of web growth. While this is an exciting time for those interested in the trends and innovations of the technology industry, the IoT also presents significant challenges for developers of software security. In recent months, telecommunications giant Nokia publicly warned against the lack of interoperability standards in the IoT market and suggested that the lack of standards will stifle healthy industry growth.
Nokia’s forewarning about lax standards conformity in the IoT is perfectly understandable. Interoperability and standardization are critically important to creating the kind of connectivity and reliability that drive reliable service. Nokia issued a public request for operators, research organizations, communications vendors and other key industry players to collaborate and ignite the development of comprehensive standards for the IoT: “[Nokia] said it wants the industry to explore business models, identify technology requirements and recommend a framework for standards for the end-to-end deployment of IoT in areas including connected mobility, smart city or public safety.”
As industry proceeds to address these issues, it is critically important for companies like Nokia to embrace open standards to support future interoperability, security, reliability, safety, and performance of innovative IoT enabled technologies. The importance of open standards applies across sectors — not just to telecommunications. As Brian Partridge, VP at 451 Research Mobility team, said: “Breaking the cycle of building proprietary IoT application silos in market after market will require more adoption of common standards and frameworks with open interfaces to achieve seamless interoperability.”