mobile device security

Security measures designed to protect the sensitive information stored on and transmitted by smartphones, tablets, laptops and other mobile devices. Mobile device security spans the gamut from user authentication measures and mobile security best practices for protecting against compromised data in the event of unauthorized access or accidental loss of the mobile device to combat malware, spyware and other mobile security threats that can expose a mobile device’s data to hackers.

Most mobile devices feature mobile operating systems with built-in mobile device security features, including iOS for iPhones and iPads, Google’s Android platform and Microsoft’s Windows Phone. Additionally, a variety of third-party mobile device security solutions are available for providing an additional layer of protection for mobile devices.

mobile device management – MDM

MDM is short for mobile device management.

What is Mobile Device Management (MDM)?

Mobile device management (MDM) is a type of security software used by an IT department to monitor, manage and secure employees’ mobile devices that are deployed across multiple mobile service providers and across multiple mobile operating systems being used in the organization. Mobile device management software is often combined with additional security services and tools to create a complete mobile device and security Enterprise Mobility Management solution.

The Gartner research firm defines mobile device management as “a range of products and services that enables organizations to deploy and support corporate applications to mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, possibly for personal use — enforcing policies and maintaining the desired level of IT control across multiple platforms.”

Mobile Device Management Solutions

Most mobile device management solutions provide organizations with end-to-end security — meaning the mobile apps, network and data used by the mobile device (in addition to the mobile device itself) are managed by an organization’s IT department with a single mobile device software product.

Some enterprise MDM solutions combine mobile security and expense management in a single product. Depending on the vendor and what specific features it supports, you can typically expect mobile device management software to contain some or all of the following features: management and support of mobile applications, mobile policy management, inventory management, security management and telecom service management.

BYOD and Mobile Device Management

The widespread proliferation of consumerization of IT means more personal consumer computing devices — such as smartphones, laptops and tablets — are brought to the workplace by employees for use and connectivity on the corporate network. The phrase BYOD (bring your own device) has become widely adopted to refer to these employees. Today’s category of mobile device management software is one way that an organization can deliver secure mobile solutions to its BYOD workforce.

Recommended Reading: Webopedia’s BYOD, consumerization of IT and security software definitions.

MDM is also short for master data management.

consumerization of IT

Consumerization of IT (“consumerization”) is a phrase used to describe the cycle of information technology (IT) emerging in the consumer market, then spreading to business and government organizations, largely because employees are using the popular “consumer market” technologies and devices at home and then introducing them in the workplace.

Consumerization of IT Security Concerns

Consumerization of IT not only refers to the use of personal consumer electronics at work — like iPhones and tablet PCs — but also online services, including online data storage, Web-based email services (“web mail“), and social media or social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Consumerization of IT is driven by employees who buy their own devices, use their own personal online service accounts, install their own applications and then connect to the corporate network with the device, often without the organization’s knowledge or approval.

For small business, corporate and government organizations, the biggest challenge for IT is that employees using unapproved technologies and devices at work is a network security risk, but even with that understanding is the knowledge that these devices will still come in to the workplace and be used by employees, even if corporate security policies are in place.

Companies Embrace Consumerization of IT

Many companies today have realized that by embracing the consumerization of IT, this will not only save money and increase business agility, but also improve employee productivity.

One popular initiative is called BYOD (“bring your own device”). This phrase has become widely adopted to refer to mobile workers bringing their own mobile devices, such as smartphones, laptops and PDAs, into the workplace for use and connectivity on the corporate network.

Instead of fighting employees who want to BYOD to work, many corporations allow employees to use their own mobile devices at work and implement a “BYOD policy” to help IT better manage these devices and ensure network security is not compromised.

Learn How to Embrace the Consumerization of IT in this CIO Update article.

security software

A general phrase used to describe any software that provides security for a computer or network. There are many types of security software including antivirus software, encryption software, firewall software and spyware removal software. Additionally, many operating systems also come preloaded with security software and tools. The two most common types of security software used for personal computer security are antivirus software (virus protection software) and antispyware software (spyware removal software).

sources :

BYOD – bring your own device

BYOD is short for bring your own device.

In the consumerization of IT, BYOD, or bring your own device, is a phrase that has become widely adopted to refer to employees who bring their own computing devices – such as smartphones, laptops and PDAs – to the workplace for use and connectivity on the secure corporate network.

BYOD Security

Today, employees expect to use personal smartphones and mobile devices at work, making BYOD security a concern for IT teams. Many corporations that allow employees to use their own mobile devices at work implement a BYOD security policy that clearly outlines the company’s position and governance policy to help IT better manage these devices and ensure network security is not compromised by employees using their own devices at work.

BYOD security can be addressed by having IT provide detailed security requirements for each type of personal device that is used in the workplace and connected to the corporate network. For example, IT may require devices to be configured with passwords, prohibit specific types of applications from being installed on the device or require all data on the device to be encrypted. Other BYOD security policy initiatives may include limiting activities that employees are allowed to perform on these devices at work (e.g. email usage is limited to corporate email accounts only) and periodic IT audits to ensure the device is in compliance with the company’s BYOD security policy.

Learn more about BYOD security and policies at CIO Update.

BYOD VoIP Subscription

Another common use of the phrase BYOD can be found in the VoIP industry, and used to describe a specific type of VoIP subscription or plan. Subscribers who have their own VoIP device (a SIP-capable device) when signing up for a VoIP service will usually be able to take advantage of a cheaper subscription plan when they use BYOD – however not all VoIP service providers will offer special rate plans for subscribers with their own equipment. If the BYOD subscription is unavailable through a VoIP provider you will need to use the provider’s equipment instead of your own.

Microsoft Researchers Get Wrapped Up in Smart Scarf

In the quest to make wearable electronics useful, researchers take a close look at the neck.

Microsoft researchers have created a scarf that can be commanded to heat up and vibrate via a smartphone app, part of an exploration of how the accessory could eventually work with emerging biometric- and emotion-sensing devices. It could, perhaps, soothe you if a sensor on your body determines you’re down—a function that could be particularly useful for people who have disorders such as autism and have trouble managing their feelings.

A paper on the project, called Swarm (Sensing Whether Affect Requires Mediation) was presented on Sunday at the Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction at Stanford University.

Michele Williams, a paper coauthor and graduate student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, who worked on the project while she was an intern at Microsoft Research, says the group chose to focus on a scarf in part because it can be a discreet way to house technology, unlike, say, a medical device.

The current prototype—which the researchers made after consulting with people with autism and hearing and visual disabilities—is a flexible laser-cut garment made of hexagons of industrial felt overlaid with conductive copper taffeta. Some of the modules can heat up, while others can vibrate.

All the modules are controlled by one master module that is also responsible for communicating with the smartphone app over Bluetooth. The modules link together with metal snaps and are interchangeable; if you want a heat-producing module closer to your stomach and a vibrating one on your neck, you can unsnap the chain and reconfigure it, says Asta Roseway, a principal research designer at Microsoft Research and a paper coauthor.

Roseway demonstrated for me over a video call how the scarf works. She pulled it off a mannequin and wrapped it around her neck, unsnapping one module and then snapping it on to the end of the chain. She turned it on and paired it with a Swarm app on a smartphone, then turned on the vibration function.

Though the metallic design of the scarf might appeal to some, it’s meant to fit inside a sleeve when worn, researchers say. That way, “you don’t have to show everyone, ‘Hey I’ve got tech all over me,” Roseway says. “It’s subtle.”

Williams would like to add the ability to cool the wearer—potentially useful for calming you down since sweat can be an indicator of stress—and add a music player so people could activate custom playlists based on their moods.

For now, though, the project is more concept than creation. Because Swarm was a project undertaken during Williams’s internship, it’s unclear whether work on it will continue.

8 Technologies That Will Turn IoT Into Reality In 2015

Internet of Things (IoT) is nothing but interconnection of computing devices within existing internet infrastructure. The concept is gaining high popularity everyday. All industries are trying to be interconnected with IoT. Here, we have listed 8 technologies that will adopt to Internet of Things in this year.

1. Smart Energy Management

Energy management has been the primary focus of internet of things development. Google entered smart energy management field by introducing a smart thermostat called Google Nest. Some other companies like, Hive, Tado and Honeywell introduced new products that enable control and adjustment of temperature and hot water settings from smartphone.

2. Smart Lighting

New lightning products like Philips Hue lets users adjust the color and brightness of lighting in the home. You can adjust and control the color, brightness of these bulbs using smartphone app. LG has introduced lighting devices that can be programmed to act like alarm clocks. It gets brighter according to time of the day, they can be set to blink when user gets a phone call.

3. Connected Appliances

Controlling your home appliances using smartphone while sitting in office is going to be the next big thing of Internet of Things. Electrolux has introduced CombiSteam oven that lets you switch on/off the oven, adjust temperature and humidity and watch the food being cooked on smartphone. Smaller appliances like coffee maker can be controlled using smartphone app too.

4. Smart Security

Mobile devices are widely used for security identification these days. Goji Smart Lock is an alternative option for keys. You can unlock the door of house by simply tapping smartphone or electronic fob. You can send a text message to activate or deactivate this lock. Another company has introduced Bluesmart suitcase that can be locked or unlocked using your phone, the suitcase has proximity sensors that detect your smartphone when it’s brought near the suitcase.

5. Self Driving Car

Google has created the all new segment of IoT by introducing the prototype of self-driving car in last year. The concept of driverless car seen in sci-fi movies can be reality with Google’s self driving car. Mercedes, Audi and BMW also have announced their self-driving car prototypes. These cars can be controlled using smartphone and even smart watches.

6. Self-tending Gardens

Smart garden is a new concept that will gain huge popularity in coming year. You can water the plants and trees in smart garden. You can autonomously water plants with right amount of water at exactly the right time. You can adjust and control watering using smartphone app. Flower Power (H2O) is one of the companies that have launched product in this segment.

7. Wearable Health Monitors

Wearable devices are connected with internet. Wearable gadgets that were introduced in last year come with number of health monitoring sensors. For example, Jawbone’s Up fitness tracker can monitor the sleeping pattern, you can set alarm on the wearable device using smartphone.

8. Drones

We have seen multiple prototypes of quadraoopter called Drone. Amazon showcased its own Drone prototype that company is planning to use for delivery. Whie, Google is secretly working on Drone project too. At CES2015, Intel showcased anti-collision feature in AscTec Firefly drone, this Drone comes with Intel RealSense camera.

Google Glass now under Tony Fadell, exits Google X

The Google Glass Explorer Program has officially been tapped by Google to shut down. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be any more Google Glass – in fact the opposite, more than likely – it’s just part of the transition process. When a group exits inside Google X, Google’s experimentation lab, it generally has more of a “not quite ready for the real world” vibe to it – now Google Glass is being brought into that real world. The real working world – not necessarily as a consumer product.

Being brought into the real world doesn’t mean Google Glass will be a consumer product. Google suggested today that they’d be continuing their Glass At Work program but have given no schedule for the future of Google Glass in any other respect.

Have a peek at our June 16th feature called Public unconvinced, Google pushes Glass at Work.

Also peek at our most recent feature: Google Glass is still around: so says Google.

Where do I buy glass in the future?

You can’t really – not unless Google re-opens their doors to the public with future versions of Glass. Google suggested today that they would continue to work with Glass, but again, Google suggests that they’re taking Glass to new places as the program exits Google X.

UPDATE: Apparently (for the time being) you can still purchase Google Glass from the Google Play device store online. We do not know how long this will last, but given Google’s current “leaves warehouse” timing of 1-2 business days, it would appear Google has some heavy stock left for now.

UPDATE 2: Google suggests that from next week, they’ll stop taking product orders for Glass. Google will continue to support “companies that are using Glass” – those in the Glass at Work program, that is to say.

Who is in charge of Glass now?

Google Glass, the Glass program, and the Glass team will remain under current manager Ivy Ross, but will be moved to the jurisdiction of Tony Fadell. Fadell is also the chief executive in charge of Nest. Google’s acquisition of Nest was completed as of February 12th, 2014.

Stick around as we continue to gather details about the future of Glass – specifically on how it will or will not be delivered to the public as a consumer product. For now, count on the device and the program to remain “at work.”

As the Internet of Things Grows, Is Privacy Possible?

The Internet of Things will instrument our world and, in doing so, simplify many aspects of our lives. Yet, the flip-side of gaining so much data about our physical world is the risk of being able to correlate events and data-points in a way that harms consumer privacy.

The Internet of Things will give us extraordinary insights into the mechanics of our world, our environment, our infrastructures and even ourselves. But companies that fail to acknowledge, mishandle or ignore these three privacy issues are undermining the future of the IoT.

Challenge #1: The Balance Between Features and Privacy

At the core of the Internet of Things is data. The more data a given IoT system obtains from its end users, the more value the system produces for application development, improved customer experiences and increased operational efficiency. But the secret to the IoT’s success will be in striking the right balance between the limitless amount of personalized data from connected devices (between the end users and their personal products, and between multiple, inter-connected devices) and the preservation of privacy.

Remember that just a few pieces of data from different sources can digitally “fingerprint” individual consumers. For example, a 2013 study on mobiles showed that, based on tracking our distance from mobile antennas every hour, four points in a dataset were enough to recognize 95 percent of individuals using the system. Today, both Google Now and Apple‘s iBeacons use unique user identities and location to provide seamless services that feel like magic.

The problem is that personalization via consumer-generated data and profiles is key for the IoT to truly take off in consumer-facing applications. To accelerate progress, we need IoT systems that not only manage and protect this data, but also glean powerful insights on individual identities based on just a few data points. The key will be to ensure that consumers have control over what information is shared, and how, and that they can share it with whoever they feel will give them a positive cost-benefit balance.

Challenge #2: Granular Data Sharing

The true value of the IoT comes from sharing data between systems (for example, cross-referencing information across devices and applications rather than looking at “one device, one protocol, one application” use cases). But this can significantly amplify privacy issues if it’s not managed properly.

I recently purchased a Jawbone activity tracker that could sync my Withings smart bathroom scales so I could gain a more holistic view of my fitness status and receive better training advice. However, there was no way for me to set up or restrict my data permissions—I had to share all of my personal data between products or none at all.

EPCglobal‘s own evolution of standards foreshadowed the need for the IoT to have better sharing schemes with greater granularity. Since then, a number of innovative solutions and standards have been applied, such as the use of sharing proxies based on fine-grained Web application programming interfaces (APIs)—using Representational State Transfer (REST), for instance—or social graphs combined with delegated Web authentication mechanisms, such as oAuth. The EVRYTHNG IoT smart products platform is architected on this Social Web of Things approach with data-sharing open APIs, based on many years of research. For the IoT to progress in 2015, the industry must understand that the absence of clear and simple controls to granular data management can kill the promise of data sharing.

Challenge #3: Providing Transparency and Controlling Access to Data

“Who owns the data?” The answer to this fundamental question will become more convoluted as more devices become connected, and it may differ depending on who is being asked. So creating solutions that provide transparency into who has access to IoT data will be central to policing privacy.

The ideal scenario would be to provide transparency and educate consumers to understand what they truly give away, creating a data democracy. The reality, however, is that analytical techniques combined with incidental data logging (your mobile phone connecting to a nearby antenna, for example) makes true data democracy a utopia unless clear governmental regulations are put in place.

Privacy Precedents to Come for the IoT

The question shouldn’t be “Will the IoT respect our privacy?” but “Will we find enough value to embrace IoT technologies even if we need to feed them with private data?” Private data, inevitably, will be exchanged, exposed and leveraged—there’s no going back from where the Web, social-media networks and smartphones have already taken us. However, we should ensure that these exchanges happen inside certain frameworks:
• Standardization of data-exchange protocols to ensure a transparent transport and a fine-grained sharing of private data
• Regulations to specify the boundaries of what companies can and can’t do with private data
• Simplification, standardization and regulation of data-sharing models to ensure that customers understand what they share without reading the small print

It is now time for privacy to become a new currency that lies in the hands of the people or enterprises to which it belongs—a currency that can be exchanged in an open market in which benefits and costs can be assessed easily and efficiently.

Luckily, we have history to learn from—through the evolution of technologies such as social networks and RFID systems, we understood the crucial balance between features and the hunger for private data. As a consequence, technologists were able to craft innovative ways to mitigate against growing data concerns. There is no doubt we will be able to triumph again.

Les 5 gadgets les plus loufoques du CES 2015

En 2015, une nouvelle rupture technologique s’est imposée au CES, il s’agit de l’IOE, soit Internet of Everywhere. Un nouvel écosystème nourri d’une profusion d’objets connectés qui n’ont pas manqué de diviser les visiteurs. En voici quelques exemples…

Chaque décennie nous vivions un véritable tournant numérique, du Mainframe dans les années 60, aux réseaux sociaux au début des années 2000. En 2015, une nouvelle rupture technologique s’est imposée au CES, il s’agit de l’IOE, soit Internet of Everywhere. Un nouvel écosystème nourri d’une profusion d’objets connectés qui n’ont pas manqué de diviser les visiteurs. En parallèle des incontournables thermostats de Nest, drones de Parrot et imprimantes 3D de MakerBot, on retrouvait des inventions totalement folles. En voici 5 dénichées par mes soins dans les allées du CES rien que pour vous.

LE HENDO HOVER UN PSEUDO-HOVERBOARD

« Back to the Future » est l’un de ces rares films a pouvoir soulever les foules encore aujourd’hui, malgré les années passées depuis sa sortie. Qui n’a pas rêvé de piloter la Delorean ou de porter les baskets de Marty McFly. Ces dernières ont d’ailleurs fait l’objet d’une édition limitée de la part de Nike, qui ont été vendues en un temps et à des prix records en 2011. Cette année c’est au Hoverboard, le skate futuriste du Héros, que se sont attaqués de jeunes entrepreneurs. Ils sont venu présenter Hendo Hover, un objet qui a déjà levé un demi-million de dollars sur Kickstater. Le problème c’est qu’au-delà du marketing, le Hendo est un « big fail ». Il est très bruyant, ne fonctionne que sur une surface mécanique spéciale, alimentée et hyper conductive et manifestement, l’autonomie est très faible. un point particulièrement problématique.

A découvrir ici : http://kck.st/14GqGNc

IGROW LE CASQUE QUI FAVORISE LA REPOUSSE DES CHEVEUX

Parmi les nombreux gadgets présentés au CES 2015, un casque connecté qui favorise la repousse des cheveux. Son nom ? iGrow. En se basant sur les bienfaits de la photothérapie et grâce à des séances de 20 minutes, iGrow travaille à la stimulation des bulbes par une lumière pulsée qui accentue le flux sanguin des follicules capillaires. Pendant que le casque diffuse de la musique d’ambiance dans à son propriétaire, un dispositif laser s’active pour, reconstruire petit à petit, la chevelure clairsemée. Cet objet sera-t-il prescrit un jour sur ordonance pour lutter contre la calvitie ? Il faudra pour cela que le prix baisse. Ce casque coûte la bagatelle de 700 euros.

Vers la disparition des chauves ? Difficile à croire en cet objet miracle.

A découvrir ici : http://bit.ly/1siqgH4

MAMAROO LE BERCEAU QUI ASSISTE LES PARENTS

L’apprentissage fait partie du (difficile) quotidien des jeunes parents. Pourtant la société américaine 4moms a décidé de développer un berceau pour éviter aux parents de faire trop d’efforts avec leurs nourrissons. Plus besoin de bercer bébé pendant des heures pour qu’il s’endorme, le mamaRoo communique avec le smartphone des parents via le Bluetooth et une application mobile dédiée. Ces derniers peuvent ainsi décider de la vitesse de balancement et du temps d’endormissement de leurs petits chérubin. Mais cet outil remplacera-t-il la présence physique des parents ? Certainement pas. Enfin espérons-le !

A découvrir ici : http://bit.ly/14FvfGU

ROLLKERS L’ACCELERATEUR DE MARCHE

Pensés comme des patins à roulettes, Rollkers est un accélérateur de marche « connecté » imaginé par un français pour repenser le déplacement des piétons. La ressemblance avec des patins se limite à l’aspect physique puisqu’en pratique l’utilisateur adopte plutôt les mouvements d’un marcheur que celui d’un patineur. Chacun des deux patins compte quatre roues, une batterie, un moteur électrique et un système électronique de contrôle. Ce dernier permet entre autre de stabiliser l’appareil quand on monte dessus. Ce gadget se connecte évidemment au smartphone de son possesseur afin de les personnaliser et récupérer des statistiques sur ses déplacements.

Lien : http://bit.ly/1BMP5wU

BELTY LA CEINTURE INTELLIGENTE

Qui n’a jamais ressenti l’envie de desserrer sa ceinture après un bon repas ? Avec Belty, fabriquée par la start-up française Emiota, vous n’aurez plus besoin de le faire. Intelligente, celle-ci se relâche automatiquement lorsque son utilisateur a trop mangé. La boucle de cette ceinture du futur contient un gyroscope et un accéléromètre, qui enregistrent chaque évolution du corps. Comme une majorité des objets présentés au CES, cette ceinture communique avec son propriétaire via une application iPhone et peut lui recommander, si besoin, de faire plus d’activités physiques.

Lien : http://bit.ly/1xQZx5d

Constat frappant de ce CES, le nombre d’inventions loufoques. De la ceinture intelligente, aux chaussures roulantes ont est bien loin de l’innovation de rupture. Quoi qu’il en soit cette édition a tout de même tenu ses promesses avec des annonces mémorables et d’autres startups, prometteuses cette fois.

Pour aller plus loin, je vous invite à découvrir les études du HUB Institute éditées durant le CES, qui abordent les trois thèmes phares : « Smart Home » (cliquez ici), « e-Health » (cliquez ici) et « Urban Mobility » (cliquez ici).

Hello Apple home, goodbye smart meter. IoT predictions for 2015.

Well it all kicked off for IoT in 2014. Substantial acquisitions, the continued decline in sensor and processing costs, and a wave of new products and players entering the market. The landscape has become more complex, the media interest more acute and some would say the hype is now at its peak.

As we enter 2015 we’re wondering if the momentum can continue and what we can expect from such a fast moving market. So we’ve asked the people who are making it happen – the founders and funders in IoT – what their predictions are for 2015. Here’s their responses, and just for fun, a couple from us, which will probably come back to haunt us:

The platform market is due a shakedown. ‘There are now too many companies trying to position their offer as a platform for a limited number of developers – there’s got to be some casualties and the pressure is on to develop some common standards’ Paul Egan, Neul

But smart home platforms should prove durable: ‘People are going to start thinking of their homes as Google homes or an Apple home and buying applications for the house. The important thing here is making the payment model smooth, something which both Apple and Google are well practised at’ Mark Cheverton, Red Gate. ‘Even as increasing numbers of incompatible home gateways appear in homes, we see the first signs of solutions which make it interoperate at least in the cloud e.g. Apple’s HomeKit and Google’s Thread.’ Pilgrim Beart, 1248 Ltd.

In fact expect much more participation from Google and Apple: ‘Google and Apple will join the party properly sharing access to their platforms more openly instead of the toe-dipping exercise that was Nest. And in contrast to the Industrial Giants building out their own “platforms”‘ Andrew Orrock, Arkessa.

Finally! The arrival of the internet fridge. Or at least more connected large appliances. ‘By the end of 2015 at least 2% of households in the EU will have one large appliance with internet capabilities’ Matjaz Likar, Gorenje.

Companies will become more discriminating about what they can sell: ‘Hopefully we will start to come down off the hype curve and back into real projects with real ROI. I see B2C getting all the attention, but B2B is where the real money will happen. Some of the very large companies (like IBM, Cisco, Microsoft) will finally introduce an tangible product offer instead of just services or vision.’ Randy Thompson, Axeda. Matt Hatton from Machina also sees a lot more focus emerging for IoT players: ‘companies throughout the M2M and IoT value chain will increasingly realise that they can’t sell everything to everyone.’

Security will move to front of mind for customers. Many people mentioned this, including Craig Hollingsworth from Concirrus: ‘I think there’s going to be some breach of security that will end up publicised in the world’s media, and consumers will start to factor it into purchasing’. Ben Peters from Neul is even more specific: ‘Bluetooth and IP based cameras are both channels with a lot of data that is very sensitive for consumers. If the media gets hold of vulnerabilities there it will get hot.’

And of course, more M&A activity – kudos to Machina Research for a very thorough scan of the IoT market and what’s hot for 2015. Here’s their thoughts on M&A prospects this year:

‘During 2014 we’ve seen a lot of interesting M&A, not least PTC acquiring Axeda, in addition to ThingWorx, as well as recent deals that saw Kore buy RACO Wireless, and Sierra Wireless buy Maingate. 2015 should see more of the same, particularly involving two types of companies. Data analytics providers will be increasingly appealing as companies seek to broaden their service offerings to include analytics capabilities. Meanwhile full service providers such as Numerex, Aeris Communications and Raco/Kore will become increasingly attractive acquisition targets. As the primary full-service M2M solution providers in the space, these mid-tier companies provide a crucial service path to enterprises looking to build and design IoT and M2M projects. 2015 will be the year of consolidation for these agile companies.’

for a full list of Machina’s other interesting trends to watch go here.

And finally here’s a specific bet from us on one of the most established M2M applications out there: all the hype in the world is not going to help the UK’s beleaguered Smart Metering roll out programme, which looks increasingly vulnerable to post election rationalisation. Expect to see it canned or radically re-shaped by the end of the year.

Moving past the illusion of data democracy

Individuals can no longer be their own privacy enforcers

Choice permeates nearly every facet of American life. We celebrate our freedom to voice a preference with every election and every episode of American Idol. We also want a choice in information privacy– the power to dictate exactly how our personal data is collected and used.

In a recent Foreign Affairs note, Ann Cavoukian, former Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada, put it this way: “When it comes to regulating privacy, let the people decide.” This concept of privacy as choice originated with Alan Westin, in his groundbreaking 1967 book Privacy and Freedom. He defined privacy as “…the claim of individuals, groups, or institutions to determine for themselves when, how, and to what extent information about them is communicated to others.

The reality, however, is that pervasive data gathering and analytical techniques fueled by advances in communication and information technology are rendering true data democracy obsolete.

The idea of letting the people decide is appealing. We each have different ideas of what should and should not be done with our information, and we all seek some level of protection from prying eyes. With that, policymakers developed a “notice and choice” framework, requiring people to decide at the point of data collection whether they accept the specified uses of their information.

The limitations on this approach are, by now, obvious. In practice, it means providing consumers with incomprehensible legalistic privacy policies, which no one reads, but that are treated as “informed consent” for companies to do as they please. One study estimated that if an average consumer read the privacy policies of all the websites they visited, it would take 224 hours a year.

The problem is only getting worse as the Internet of Things continues its rapid expansion. When refrigerators, automobiles, smartphones, and just about every object in daily life are all equipped with communications capabilities, it will be impossible to execute a privacy framework in which consumers can examine all the possible data uses before information is collected.

In today’s world of pervasive data collection and use, this blind insistence on a data democracy provides only the illusion of individual control. It is a fake mechanism of autonomy, offering no real consumer protection.

There is an alternative. Years ago, former Obama Administration official Danny Weitzner put it this way: “Consumers should not have to agree in advance to complex policies with unpredictable outcomes Instead, they should be confident that there will be redress if they are harmed by improper use of the information they provide…”

A reform movement is gaining steam. The goal is to prevent consumer harm—to ensure that information is not used in a way that is adverse to an individual’s legitimate interests. The basic concept is to make companies and institutions responsible for how they use collected data. There will clearly be some role for consumers in this regime, but they will not be the only, or even the primary, agent of enforcement.

The Obama Administration’s recent big data report moved in this direction, recommending that policymakers “look closely at the notice and consent framework that has been a central pillar of how privacy practices have been organized….” The accompanying report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is more direct, urging that “policy attention should focus more on the actual uses of big data and less on its collection and analysis.”

The answer is to focus on vigorous enforcement of existing laws that have proven effective at governing the collection and use of personal information. Policymakers and regulators must be vigilant in monitoring business activity to make certain our legal framework offers adequate consumer protection, and they should consider new restrictions on data collection and use only when real consumer harm is proven.

While it may sound paternalistic to have consumers protected instead of actively protecting themselves, the era of privacy notices has passed. Every new innovation in the Internet of Things provides another crack in the illusion of data democracy. It’s time to move beyond this outdated notion — just as it would make no sense for each of us to become our own meat inspector or bank examiner, it no longer makes sense to expect each of us to be our own privacy enforcer.