WHITE PAPER A Holistic Approach to Identity Management in the Internet of Things: Leveraging a Secure Cloud Platform to Capitalize on Today s Connected World
Executive Summary The new world of connected products and services has transformed a set of narrowly focused machine-to-machine (M2M) industrial capabilities of the past into the nearly infinite opportunities created by the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT promises that product vendors and services providers will be able to leverage a variety of connections to develop and deliver better products and services: this is possible by better understanding how their offerings are actually being used by customers. By monitoring how their products and services are being utilized, the suppliers will be able to improve their design processes and support capabilities. They will also be able to convert the usage data into valuable insights and information with commercial value that will enable them to identify new business opportunities. However, the vision of a hyper-connected world has also raised serious concerns regarding the security of the connections, the data being transmitted, the integrity of the products and services being delivered, and the customers being served. A steady stream of highly publicized corporate and governmental security breaches has helped to validate many of these concerns. THINKstrategies believes it is necessary to establish access control methodologies and mechanisms to manage the various players who will collaborate and interact in IoT deployments. This will require a new approach to Identity Management (IdM) to respond to the escalating IoT security challenges. This whitepaper will introduce this new hierarchy of IoT IdM requirements. It will explain how enterprises and governmental agencies should employ a new generation of Cloud-based IdM solutions that can scale to meet today s escalating IoT security requirements, and enable organizations to fulfill the promise of today s connected world. It will also show how Covisint s IdM capabilities respond to these requirements. How the Internet of Things Is Changing Everything While M2M was primarily focused on commercial deployments of remote sensors aimed at improving logistics and other aspects of internal operations, IoT promises to fundamentally change the way vendors and service providers interact with their customers. Machina Research estimates: The total number of M2M connections will grow from 5 billion in 2014 to 27 billion in 2024, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18%. The total M2M revenue opportunity including devices, connectivity and application revenue will be $1.6 trillion in 2024, up from $500 billion in 2014, a CAGR of 12%. The broader IoT opportunities have been fueled by a combination of market factors including: Significant advancements in nanotechnology that have made remote sensors more economical to embed in nearly everything.
A wider range of communications frequencies has made it easier to connect the sensors to centralized systems. A rapidly expanding array of Cloud services is also making it easier and more cost-efficient to collect, store, collate and share the data being generated by the sensors so it can be employed to make better business decisions and take appropriate corporate actions. The consumerization of IT has also contributed to the popularization of the IoT idea in the consumer and corporate sectors. As prosumers become more aware of the potential benefits of geospatial services, like health and sports apps offered via their mobile devices, they become more receptive to applying the same capabilities to various aspects of their business operations. The convergence of these technological and business trends has driven the growing demand for connected products and services, which can: better understand customer needs, improve their operating efficiency, and create new market opportunities. When you add in all the mobile devices at our disposal, Cisco Systems has predicted there will be over 50 billion connected objects worldwide in 2020. As a consequence, International Data Corporation (IDC) is predicting the worldwide IoT market will triple from $655.8 billion in 2014 to $1.7 trillion in 2020, a CAGR of 16.9%. IDC also expects IoT purpose-built platforms, application software, and as a service offerings will capture a larger proportion of the market by 2020. McKinsey forecasts IoT initiatives will have an even greater economic impact of up to $6.2 trillion annually by 2025. McKinsey believes IoT will produce six (6) types of data that will provide information and analysis, and promote automation and control as the figure on the side illustrates.
Vodafone s third annual M2M Barometer Report found 59% of companies using M2M technologies have experienced a significant return on investment (ROI), 83% see M2M as a source of competitive advantage. These measurable results are driving the growth of the broader IoT market. However, in order to fully capitalize on these IoT opportunities, organizations must pull together a wider array of data sources, network connections and business applications supplied by a broader set of service providers, independent software vendors (ISVs) and technology suppliers. This is a sizable udertaking that has many risks. The Escalating Identity Management Challenges in Today s Connected World No matter which market forecast you believe, the undeniable truth is that the number and diversity of IoT deployments and connections is going to exponentially multiply in the coming years. And, concerns about the security ramifications of these IoT initiatives are also escalating. As the earlier forecasts indicate, as the volume and variety of interactions between things multiplies, the access management controls required become more complicated. Establishing a more scalable, rules-based control system is particularly important in the Industrial Internet environment in which a growing number of IoT deployments are beginning to emerge. For instance, not only is every automotive manufacturer pursuing new connected car capabilities, but companies like Haemonetics are employing IoT technologies to rollout services in this case blood and plasma management service. These new IoT deployments are generating and transmitting highly sensitive data. Each of the IoT deployments are constructed using a unique set of communications networks, sensors, software, and hardware systems. And, the vast universe of IoT use cases opens the door to a wider assortment of hardware, software and communications security vulnerabilities. The IoT depends on software-enhanced sensors becoming embedded in a growing assortment of products and other objects (as Marc Andreessen famously predicted in his seminal commentary in the Wall Street Journal entitled Why Software Is Eating the World. ) Of course, the purpose of embedding the sensors in all these products and objects is to capture detailed data regarding how they are being used and behave. Securing this data is critical. But, it isn t just securing the data it is tightly controlling and managing the access to the object, device or thing to protect it and the data that it produces. This is particularly important in an IoT deployment that is highly dependent on various end-points, networks and back-end systems, and supported by multiple vendors trading information and commands on a real-time basis. Not only does an organization have to create more connections to collect the data, it must also implement more software from various sources to assimilate the more diverse array of data flows so they can be utilized to support a wider set of business processes. The goal of IoT is to use this data to dictate appropriate actions in response to
various alerts and other prompts, and inform the product vendor and service provider of requirements, which can improve future products and services as well as provide valuable information to users. This means it is critical to properly secure these connections, end-points and applications, and in turn secure the customer s corporate operations. Because no vendor can supply all the piece-parts necessary to satisfy an organization s end-to-end IoT deployment needs, the multi-vendor nature of this market compounds the security challenges. It is essential for all the IoT hardware, software and service providers to work closely together to successfully transmit the data and associated commands properly. In addition, these IoT deployments are most likely layered on top of a variety of legacy systems and software applications. As a result, a highly centralized access control system is required to pull all the pieces together. Since none of the network service providers, sensor suppliers or ISVs can secure more than their individual IoT elements, it is essential for another end-to-end security solution to be incorporated into the IoT deployment. Therefore, a more robust identity management (IdM) system is required to satisfy the escalating demands of an Industrial Internet scale IoT deployment. Organizations of all sizes across nearly every industry are also recognizing that simply acquiring a new IdM system won t ensure success. Many organizations lack the in-house skills to properly implement and maintain an IdM system, and are seeking to acquire that functionality without the hassles of deploying and managing the IdM system. Because most IoT deployments can be expected to expand in a dynamic fashion, it means the IdM system must also be agile to continuously secure the new end-points and ensure proper access control. Given these risks, it s not surprising that security is the biggest concern of corporate executives considering IoT initiatives. According to a study by Atomik Research, 46 percent of the survey respondents said the risks associated with IoT have the potential to become the most significant risk on their networks. These requirements are leading a growing number of organizations to turn to IdM providers that offer Identity-as-a-Service via the Cloud.
Covisint s Holistic Approach to IdM in IoT The Covisint Platform enables enterprises to centrally manage the entire identity lifecycle of their internal and external users, as well as their access to resources across the enterprise. The company has a long history of securing ecosystems of identities. Covisint built and managed the first secure cloud platform for connecting the global automotive supply chain industry in 2000. Today, Covisint s Platform connects over 212,000 business partners and customers, and allows more than 25 million users to access trusted information and mission critical applications to conduct over $1 trillion worth of transactions per year. The highly-scalable Cloud Platform enables enterprises to securely share information across their extended IoT network of business partners and customers globally. The platform includes three primary components for identity management: Authentication Services Identity Governance Services Identity Brokering Services The Covisint Platform provides identity lifecycle and access management capabilities that are especially geared toward the IoT multi-vendor world, managing access control among partners, suppliers, contractors and employees that need to transmit and share data across various networks, applications and systems. Covisint s identity lifecycle services extends from provisioning to identity analytics, and provides a full set of APIs to create integrated solutions that connect people, processes, systems and things. The Covisint Platform makes it easy to integrate the back-office and third-party business applications needed to create a secure and personalized web experience. Covisint s Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) framework gives enterprises greater visibility into their portfolio of IoT managed applications and systems, to track access and utilization activity. The built-in attestation and audit capability of the Platform can ensure enterprise and IoT supplier compliance with regulatory requirements. Summary & Conclusions The promise of IoT is capturing the attention and imagination of a growing number of corporate executives, and quickly becoming the focus of many corporate technology and innovation initiatives aimed at improving business operations and creating new market opportunities. However, achieving the IoT promise depends on securely deploying a wide array of sensors, software and systems from an assortment of vendors and service providers in a rapid and cost-effective fashion. The IoT depends on the ability to capture and share sensitive data from a large number of endpoints across a variety of applications. Done properly, this can have a measurable impact on an organization s business processes, and dramatically impact its profitability. Failing to properly secure the IoT deployment can have an equally devastating impact on an organization s operations and its ability to comply with key regulations.
Covisint s Cloud Platform provides the authentication, identity governance and brokering services necessary to address the escalating IoT security challenges facing enterprises. Its Identity-as-a-Service model also enables enterprises to acquire the security capabilities on a pay-as-you-go basis and leverage Covisint s expertise to ensure the access control features are properly deployed, and continuously monitored and maintained. While many IoT solution providers have focused on developing tools and technologies to permit enterprises to connect their products and services, Covisint takes the positon that these connections absent security and identity management put IoT data and companies at risk. The Covisint Platform gives enterprises an end-to-end IoT security solution that scales to meet their rapidly evolving needs. About Covisint Covisint provides the cloud platform of choice for enabling the Internet of Things and identity-centric solutions. Covisint connects the complex unconnected for our customers. Our Platform enables the identification, authorization and connection of complex networks of people, processes, systems and things. Covisint s open, developer-friendly, enterprise-class Cloud Platform facilitates the rapid development and deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT), Identity Management (IdM) and Connected Supply Chain solutions - enabling customers to securely identify, authenticate and connect users, devices, applications and information. Covisint has been successfully operating globally at enterprise scale for more than 15 years. Today, the Covisint Platform enables more than 3,000 organizations to connect with more than 212,000 business partners and customers, and supports more than $4 billion in ecommerce transactions annually. For more information, go to: www.covisint.com. About THINKstrategies, Inc. THINKstrategies, Inc. is the only strategic consulting services company focused entirely on helping its clients capitalize on the unprecedented business opportunities created by the technology industry shift from a product-centric to a services-driven orientation and an on-demand delivery model, such as Cloud Computing, Softwareas-a-Service (SaaS) and Managed Services. THINKstrategies mission is to help our clients re-think their corporate strategies, refocus their resources and re-align their operations to achieve their business objectives. THINKstrategies helps enterprise decision-makers with their sourcing strategies, IT solutions providers with their marketing strategies, and VCs with their investment strategies. THINKstrategies has also created the Cloud Computing Showplace online directory and best practices resource center to help IT and business decision-makers find and fully leverage today s leading SaaS, Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Infrastructureas-a-Service (IaaS) solutions. To learn more about the Cloud Computing Showplace, go to www.cloudshowplace.com. THINKstrategies also hosts a series of executive forums focused on specific strategic issues, business opportunities and challenges in the Cloud marketplace, called the Cloud Innovators Summits, www.cloudsummits.com.
For more information regarding our unique capabilities, visit www.thinkstrategies. com, or contact us at info@thinkstrategies.com. Sources 1 Machina Research, M2M Global Forecast & Analysis 2014-24; June 24, 2015. https://machinaresearch.com/report/m2m-global-forecast-and-analysis-2014-24/ 2 Cisco Systems Internet of Everything Value Index 2013, http:// internetofeverything.cisco.com/explore/full 3 Explosive Internet of Things Spending to Reach $1.7 Trillion in 2020, According to IDC. June 2, 2015; http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/02/us-idc-researchiduskbn0oi1no20150602 4 The Internet of Things, The McKinsey Quarterly, March 2010 by Michael Chui, Markus Löffl er, and Roger Roberts. http://www.mckinsey. com/insights/high_tech_ telecoms_internet/the_internet_of_things 5 Third Annual Vodafone M2M Barometer Report, http://m2m.vodafone. com/ cs/m2m/insight_news/vodafonem2m-barometer-report-reveals-rapid-growth-ininternet-of-things-2015-07-07?categorytitle=press+releases 6 Haemonetics Introduces Award-Winning HaemoCloud - Embracing the Internet of Things to Connect the Global Blood Supply Chain, http://phx. corporate-ir.net/ phoenix.zhtml?c=72118&p=irolnewsarticle&id=2078716& highlight= 7 Marc Andreessen, Why Software Is Eating the World, Wall Street Journal, August 20, 2011. 8 Security Week: Internet of Things Security Challenging Enterprise Networks: Survey, January 26, 2015. About Covisint Corporation Covisint is the leading Cloud Platform for building Identity and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Our Cloud Platform technology facilitates the rapid development of identification, authorization and connection of complex networks of people, processes, systems and things. Covisint s Platform supports customers in their endeavors to securely identify, authenticate and connect users, devices, applications and information. It supports 3,000 organizations who connect more than 212,000 business partners and customers that support $4 billion in ecommerce transactions annually. Learn more at www.covisint.com. Covisint Corporation Detroit Frankfurt London San Francisco Shanghai p 800 229 4125 covisint.com All Covisint products and services listed within are trademarks of Covisint Corporation. All other company or product names are trademarks of their respective owners. 2016 Covisint Corporation.