From fitness trackers to full-on wearable computers like today’s smartwatches, the market for wearable devices is set to explode in the coming year. Not only are these gadgets beneficial for individuals looking to enhance their personal lives, enterprises are finding ways to leverage the benefits of wearable devices in the workplace. But as this market segment begins to mature, consumers and businesses alike must consider the implications these devices have on data security to ensure they don’t become more of a headache than a help.
In its 2016 Predictions: What’s Next in Wearable Technology research, APX labs argues that enterprise deployment of wearable devices will jump six fold in the coming year. According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, 2016 shipments of wearables will reach roughly 80 million. Of that, about one-quarter of those devices will be smartwatches, as opposed to simpler fitness trackers. IDC predicts Apple will own the greatest percentage of the smartwatch market (61%), followed by Google’s Android Wear, Pebble OS and Samsung’s Tizen, respectively. Despite the heavy growth in smartwatches, researchers don’t anticipate them killing off the fitness band business anytime soon.
“A lot of people think multi-function devices will clobber dedicated devices,” says Ramon Llamas, an IDC research manager for wearables and mobile phones. “I don’t see that happening in 2016 or even in the next few years. These are two product categories that can coexist.”
Within the enterprise specifically, APX Labs expects around one in three organizations to make their first wearable device deployments operational, and two thirds to be growing and expanding their use cases in 2016. As wearables and the Internet of Things (IoT) continue to integrate, an increasing number of organizations will identify the value they can provide. That could further drive innovation of components made specifically for wearables that give the devices greater capabilities to fulfill an increasing set of needs.
But the question remains …. With all this growth and innovation, how will customers and companies ensure the data being collected, stored and disseminated on these devices is protected?
Intel Security Group suggests that hackers will increasingly target wearable devices in parallel with their growing popularity. Cybersecurity and Privacy Director Bruce Snell notes that “poorly written wearable code will create a back door into your smartphone,” which could compromise company data as well as personal information. In fact, nearly three-quarters of IT professional respondents believe the risk of hackers targeting organizations via IoT devices, such as activity trackers, is medium or high, according to ISACA’s IT Risk/Reward Barometer study.
Therefore, it’s important enterprises “set network policies that can manage access levels for these devices,” says Kurt Roemer, chief security strategist at Citrix. “Employees will be wearing multiple devices to gather more data and improve accuracy for things like health tracking — and all will need to be managed accordingly. For industries like healthcare where the devices are constantly uploading and sending data, it will be critical that this information is encrypted and has multi-factor authentication protocols to avoid any funny business from patients or hackers.”
All in all, it seems as though the future of wearable devices will be what you and your company make it. Contact TechOrchard for help developing policies and procedures that protect your organization and give wearables a promising outlook for enhancing productivity and the bottom line.
