IT security professionals need to ready themselves for the coming “digital business” revolution and a new breed of security implications that it’s sure to bring, said Gartner analyst Jorge Lopez at the Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit yesterday.

Gartner defines digital business as “the creation of new business designs by blurring the digital and physical world,” and the Internet of Things (IoT) is a big part of the picture. IoT will extend its reach into everything – cars, road sensors, trash cans, clothes, medical devices and more – and ‘digital business’ refers to how the data these devices and sensors collect can be used for business purposes.

Lopez gave an example of how police, ambulance services, hospitals and even insurance companies might leverage IoT to respond to car accidents.

A driver’s smart phone or even ‘smart car’ would sense when an accident has happened. This device would collect data from the car’s systems about the nature and severity of the accident and communicate this information to authorities so they could dispatch appropriate  people and equipment. Insurance companies could also be notified immediately, allowing them to assess the damage and locate a nearby repair shop. Even the video evidence “could be assembled and sent to an attorney,” explained Lopez.

Should the driver be wearing some kind of ‘smart clothing’, its sensors could provide data to hospitals and emergency responders to help them assess injuries.

Sound futuristic? Lopez said U.S. industries are already pursuing such ideas.

IT security pros urgently need to recognize the implications of digital business, Gartner says. It’s coming fast and will add trillions of dollars in economic value when it does. This trend is part of what is driving  the creation of “chief data officer” and “chief digital officer” positions within  corporations. However,  it would be a mistake to concentrate responsibility for digital business with one individual or department. Companies will need to reinvent themselves as a whole to make the most of these new possibilities.

The technology industry is likely to grow exponentially as digital business rises. Gartner says the technology and services market will be worth $309 billion a year by 2020, and warns security pros they’ll have to manage it. Security pros will be the ones tasked with creating new safeguards for digital business, although it’s unclear what these will be.

photo credit: h.koppdelaney via photopin cc