Could cybersecurity issues undermine migration efforts to IP-based solutions?

None of this is designed to discourage the development or adoption of IP-based solutions; quite the contrary, I’m very bullish on them. The IP train has left the station, and we’re all on it. Generally, I believe it is for the better. The innovation and convenience made possible with IP technology is amazing, but more attention needs to be paid to the security implications, both from the technical and policy (privacy is a big concern) perspectives.  

There is too much at stake. Perhaps the most disconcerting scenario involves electric utilities, which provide the energy that enables our technology-based society to function.

Cybersecurity is a chief concern for the utility industry, as reports of attacks on power grids are becoming more commonplace. Former ABC correspondent Ted Koppel examines the possibility of an extended nationwide power outage in his sobering book Light Out: A Cyberattack, a Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath. Utility officials have downplayed Koppel’s scenario, but no one is saying that he is wrong.

I don’t pretend to have an answer for this, but it seems imperative that a comprehensive strategy be developed to address cybersecurity concerns. Yes, this may require additional funding for education and implementation, which might reduce some of the return-on-investment (ROI) benefits of implementing IP-based solutions. But my hunch is that the costs associated with tackling this problem now will be a fraction of the expense that will be paid if a large-scale attack is launched successfully.

Some have asserted that IP is the Superman of the communications industry. If that’s the case, it’s important that steps are taken to ensure that cybersecurity does not prove to be its kryptonite.