TrustWave Unveils Cloud-Based Security for IoT

While the Internet of Things (IoT) is still in its early stages of capability and adoption, it’s not too early to think about the security needed when myriad devices—many of them critical—start connecting wirelessly. That’s the thinking of Trustwave, which recently unveiled a managed services specifically aimed at manufacturers and business users of IoT technologies, devices and applications.

Trustwave Managed IoT Security allows organizations to test, monitor and secure an entire IoT environment to more efficiently and proactively identify and respond to IoT-related threats and vulnerabilities, the company said in a press release.

According to Gartner, IoT will surge in the next five years. In 2015, $4.9 billion connected “things”—from devices, manufacturing machines and home appliances—will be in use, a 30 percent increase over 2014, the analyst firm has forecasted. By 2020, that number will reach 25 billion, according to Gartner, making security a crucial part of supporting this connected activity.

Trustwave, which provides cloud and managed security services, is taking the two-fold approach to prevent IoT-related data breaches. This means providing security both for IoT products and infrastructure, and also monitoring the system of databases, networks and web and mobile applications supporting those devices.

“As everyday objects connect to the network, IT teams struggle to manage assets and attack vectors previously outside their purview,” said Steve Kelley, senior vice president of Product and Corporate Marketing at Trustwave, in the press release. “Manufacturers of those products also struggle with getting them out to market on time while ensuring security. Trustwave’s Managed IoT Security helps both parties overcome those challenges by identifying and remediating security weaknesses within the products and ecosystem surrounding them in addition to round-the-clock monitoring to detect and deflect a breach.”

Trustwave is incorporating security into the IoT infrastructure with its Trustwave Managed IoT Security service, which enables developers and providers of IoT products and services to find weaknesses in embedded devices, back-end services and the connections in between, the company said. As part of the service, Trustwave’s team of SpiderLabs white-hat hackers attempt to compromise devices to locate flaws, which can then be addressed.

To monitor the security of the IoT Ecosystem, Trustwave’s service uses real-time monitoring and advanced security services that discover actionable information on the network, the company said. This can help protect organizations from breaches that come through devices connected through the IoT.

Companies can access Trustwave’s Managed IoT Security services through the Trustwave TrustKeeper cloud-based portal.