Daly writes in an op-ed published Wednesday in GCN that federal chief information officers should consider both the potential vulnerabilities of networks connecting critical infrastructure systems as well as the relevant insights that these can generate.
“Planning now will determine both the benefits and the risks this system brings because when everything is connected, everything is vulnerable,” he said.
Daly noted that government CIOs should ensure continued data reliability through information assurance, encryption, data separation and risk containment solutions, streamlined systems and measures to monitor users and insider threat.
He also recommends CIOs understand the capabilities of devices in accessing, generating and transmitting data and the potential risks alongside these capabilities.
Government IT organizations should also implement insider-focused monitoring and security measures that use behavioral analytics to determine inappropriate activity, Daly says.
“The IoT has the potential to help us to create and process more data than ever before… Making sure this system of systems is secure will help us ensure the IoT delivers its promise of human advancement,” Daly wrote.