Growing Use of Sensors and Wearables Increasing Need for Security of Data

The Internet of Things (IoT) was the number one topic at this year’s CES, with everything from watches to guitars collecting data for consumers. But what does this mean for the federal government and its agencies, which aren’t likely to be connecting to refrigerators and guitars? The “Internet of Things” or “IoT,” becomes a reality for government agencies when an explosion of devices, including sensors and wearables connect tanks, trucks or helicopters to the Internet. Or when warfighters have wearable devices on their vests or wear high-tech glasses as a part of the uniform.

The deployment of the IoT in government is where we’ll see real innovation. For example, the use of high-tech glasses as training tools for doctors and cadets is relevant in today’s world. Recording a surgery with glasses can offer great step-by-step training visuals and an archive of the operation if needed for review in the future. The ubiquitous wearable fitness trackers could alleviate costs associated with sending troops to fitness tests, for example. Using a fitness tracker could eliminate the need to fly federal employees to testing sites.

Today’s military also uses wearables and sensors to help the warfighter in the field and uses GPS-enabled devices to help route troops. For example, a troop heads out on a predetermined route but finds that a landslide from a nearby mountain now blocks the road. They find a way around it, thereby creating a new route. When they get back to base, they should securely upload that data and create a new map for the next platoon that heads into the field. If an agency isn’t collecting that type of data and mining it for future benefits, then the sensors or wearables are really just fancy hardware.

Less than a decade ago, we never thought in terms of securing, managing and mining the data created by wearables, but we have to do so today. Securing data transmitted from wearables is a priority, whether data is transmitted from the field or when the warfighter returns to base camp and steps into a launch pad that automatically uploads data into portable data center.

Whether it is a fitness test or a surgical training tool, the DoD and others that are actively participating using wearables and sensors, must manage, secure and transport data in compliance with federal regulations. Many agencies are not there yet, however, because they are not sure how to categorize the growing number of sensors/devices they use.

Here are three things that agencies must consider when they launch wearables/sensors:

1. Where and how are you going to use your sensors or wearables and what data do you want to collect and mine from them?
2. How are you going to secure the device and data at rest and in motion?
3. How are you mining data to create a benefit that could come from deploying sensors/wearables?

There has to be some actionable result from collecting the data – better surgeons, fitter troops, better routing, for example. Agencies collecting data without purpose or result are really just creating a data nightmare and losing the opportunity to enhance their constituents’ experiences.

This year will be a telling one for how the federal government manages its increasing connection to the Internet from trucks, troops, tanks and other things and how it manages devices and data collected on them.