My Struggle with IoT Anxiety

by

IOT_Web

Am I losing my edge? I’ve always thought of myself as a brave, early-adopter of technology, who is first in line for the latest gadgets and apps. Got a new beta? Count me in! Things are buggy? Who cares? I’m experiencing the future! The trouble is, that for the first time in recent memory, I’m finding myself apprehensive about one of the hottest areas of technology today: the Internet of Things (IoT), specifically home automation products. I dream of a connected house where only my voice is needed to control the things around me, but my fears regarding interoperability security are holding me back.

Interoperability

When you play the game of formats, you win or you die. There is no middle ground. Format wars are nothing new. They are painful and there are big winners and big losers. Did you choose VHS or Betamax? USB or Firewire? Businesses hate these wars because they are forced to place risky bets. Consumers hate them because they don’t want to buy products that will become obsolete.

In the home automation space, all of the big dogs are in the fight, forcing consumers and manufacturers to pick sides. Apple has HomeKit, Alphabet/Google have Works with Nest, Amazon has Alexa, Samsung has SmartThings, and there are others as well. The worst part is that if your ecosystem of choice disappears, you’re out of luck. Even if your ecosystem was purchased by a large corporation. I’m looking at you, Google!

Security

Even if you happen to choose a home automation ecosystem that survives and has the devices you want, you still have to be aware that each of those devices is a new way for malicious hackers to break into your house, get on your network, or watch a streaming feed of your baby sleeping. Part of being on the bleeding edge of technology is risk, and the risk here is too large to ignore. I expect things to continuously improve over time, but for the most part we are at the mercy of companies keeping their products as secure as possible through updates and smart designs. Not a super comfortable place to be.

My Approach

IoT and home automation are not going away. All the cool kids are doing it. Literal, actual kids. Interoperability and security will mature and improve, but to avoid falling too far behind, I’ve started by dipping my toes into the IoT pool. My rule is that I’ll only connect things within my house and nothing on the perimeter. That means no connected locks, garage door openers, doorbells, etc. I’ve settled on HomeKit as my platform since I’m an Apple geek, but secretly I want an Amazon Echo. I now have two lamps that are connected via smart plug switches, I bought a pair of ecobee3 (which I love) connected thermostats to replace my ancient, mercury controlled thermostats, and I have a few Tile trackers on items like my keys and backpack. So far, I am enjoying the convenience of these new devices and don’t feel overly exposed to the risks. Someday I’ll go all-in, but for now I’m taking it slow and enjoying the ride.

 

READ MORE

The Magic of Mortals

The Magic of Mortals

Daily we wake up to new developments in automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML). Across sectors and industries, automated solutions prove highly successful in surpassing the capacity of the human brain for certain tasks, improving...

read more
Leveling Up: How to Hone Your Skills at Home

Leveling Up: How to Hone Your Skills at Home

Leaders have been trying to crack the code on talent development for years. Recent studies have shown, however, that strength-focused leadership [read: intentionally elevating the qualities that already come naturally to us] is the clear winner for developing talent...

read more
Fake Case Study: Jack of all trades vs. Master of One

Fake Case Study: Jack of all trades vs. Master of One

  Listen to any earnings call or executive presentation and you will likely hear the terms “top line” and “bottom line.” These are words used to describe a business’s performance. According to Investopedia, the words are defined as follows: Top line refers to the...

read more
Your Personality Is Showing

Your Personality Is Showing

There I was, minding my own business one evening, digging into my organization's SEO performance (as one does), when I came across something interesting. Search terms related to "MBTI" — or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, developed by Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel...

read more
Lessons From a Change Manager Who Hates Change

Lessons From a Change Manager Who Hates Change

Hello. My name is Monique, and I’m a change manager who hates change.   After years of receiving “consulting therapy” from various mentors, I am now able to say these words out loud and proudly. But for a long time, it felt more like an admission of guilt. I mean, who...

read more
Creativity as a Cure

Creativity as a Cure

The topic of creative solutioning has been front and center these days as we talk more and more about organizational adaptability in the face of dynamic and uncertain times. For example, I recently read about a project that got me thinking about specific priorities...

read more
Thought Ensemble, a Pariveda Company — Why Now?

Thought Ensemble, a Pariveda Company — Why Now?

Big news over here as we close out the year - we have been acquired by Pariveda, a 750-person consulting firm in 12 markets across North America! We are now “Thought Ensemble, a Pariveda Company” and I’ll be serving as the Managing Vice President continuing to lead...

read more
Thought Ensemble Joins Pariveda Solutions!

Thought Ensemble Joins Pariveda Solutions!

Dallas, December 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pariveda, a leader specializing in solving complex technology and business problems, announces the acquisition of Thought Ensemble. With the addition of Thought Ensemble, Pariveda now provides holistic business strategy,...

read more
Thoughts on Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act

Thoughts on Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act

It was about a year ago that we first started hearing about Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (SB19-085) and I knew it was going to be national news. We’d just gotten past the “Rocky Mountain High” jokes, and our lovely state was trying to break new ground...

read more