According to the Statista report, the total number of connected devices is expected to exceed 75 billion by 2025 globally. This reflects the increasing interest of entrepreneurs in the developing IoT landscape. However, since these Internet-connected devices transmit a vast amount of valuable data, IoT app solutions remain vulnerable to hackers. Thus, it is crucial to effectively tackle the issues related to IoT app security.
Why is it important to protect IoT App Solutions?
Customized IoT apps deal with a plethora of corporate data on a daily basis. The data consists of sensitive and confidential information of the company and its customers. Hackers can interrupt and exploit such data. The data breach hits hard on the company’s reputation and results in financial loss. These days, growing security concerns for customized IoT apps keep mobile app developers on their toes.
Once the IoT app is compromised, the critical data can go in the wrong hands and the overall operation of the IoT network gets affected. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the customized IoT app secure. Here are top tips for entrepreneurs to protect their valuable IoT apps while making the most of this thriving technology.
How to ensure safety of your IoT apps?
These days, IoT mobile app development services are evolving to address the growing security challenges of IoT apps. An end-to-end security system can be established in battling against safety concerns. However, it is fair to mention that still, IoT app developers do not remain assured for the complete safety of an IoT app as it works in collaboration with externally connected devices. It is, therefore, necessary to integrate the security measures in such devices also.
Here are just a few steps entrepreneurs should take to ensure the IoT app’s security.
- Set the right passwords
When you hire IoT app developers, they enable you to leverage many benefits of IoT technology. However, it is necessary to set the right and unique passwords to keep the IoT app safe. You should keep a strong and difficult password for the app that is beyond the hacker’s imagination.
Default passwords can be readily traced and anyone can find them out online after doing some research. Such passwords are not reliable and can be easily cracked. Therefore, you should keep the unique passwords for both IoT apps and firmware access.
- Ensure proper authentication and access
This holds true for both IoT devices and apps. It is better to give the complete information of hierarchy pattern to the IoT application development company. If you give the app’s access to anyone, your app may remain vulnerable for an attack. Also, multiple and random access can make the app’s security more complex and time-consuming.
When a proper authentication is not in place, the users can readily exchange the corporate data whereas when correct permissions are not available, the users cannot use the apps or devices. In other words, you should define the access and authentication strategy for your IoT app to ensure its safe and seamless use.
- Prefer reliable development platform
When it comes to developing IoT applications, various platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Oracle IoT, and IBM Watson are available these days. Here you need to exercise caution while selecting the platform because every platform has specific pros and cons. In such a situation, you should choose the most suitable platform that can readily address your IoT-related requirements in line with your business model.
You can hire IoT app developers who can utilize the features of the IoT app development platform to make a robust business IoT app that can resist the cyber attack effectively.
- Update the app regularly
The mobile application development company rightly emphasize the regular updates of customized business apps, and IoT apps are no exception. The reason is simple- when you update the app, you simply make it more powerful against any possible hacking attempt. What’s more, your app can offer the feeling of safety to the existing app users. You can also integrate the advanced security features in your app.
The app developers remain in touch with the technological advancements and safety features for the app. With a regular update, you can avail advantage of it to make your app more secure. Also, the regular update of your app can help you meet some of the obvious challenges of IoT mobile app development.
- Establish proper integrations and connections
IoT mobile app development services are evolving and capable of integrating advancements of emerging technologies like AI and AR. But, when it comes to feature integration, you need to ensure proper connection because improper connections can lead to security issues. The IoT app developers always emphasize on integrating reliable and secure devices with the IoT apps.
At times, the legacy devices are not made for connecting with the Internet, and therefore, may not have necessary safety features to resist against the possible cyber attacks. In such a situation, the app and the entire IoT network at the workplace remain vulnerable to the data breach and other security threats.
- Focus on firmware security
IoT app solutions are different than traditional mobile apps in a way that IoT apps interact with connected devices and ‘things’. It is fairly possible that the devices connected with customized IoT apps may have vulnerabilities in the firmware. So, you need to make sure that IoT apps can update the firmware in a secure way regularly. You can ask for integrating this functionality when you hire IoT app developers. Several reputed IoT platforms provide this feature.
Encryption and proper validation functionality can help you improve the security of firmware.
- Secure devices and components
Also, it is necessary to ensure the safety of devices and other related components of your IoT network. ARM and Intel focus on providing IoT-based security in their processor and chips respectively. Similarly, you can take help from hardware vendors to enhance the privacy of users of IoT apps and the entire system.
Though the IoT app development cost is a bit higher than traditional mobile app development, you need to keep some money aside for its regular maintenance and update especially when you integrate new devices or disintegrate any of the connected devices.
That’s not all! It is better to consult a reliable and leading IoT application development company to safeguard the IoT app more effectively. Apart from achieving a competitive edge, you can manage the IoT system efficiently on the move through a feature-rich IoT mobile app.