Key Considerations

Many would argue that our critical-infrastructure projects are only as reliable and secure as the technology serving them. While reliability and security are completely separate success factors, they often play into one another. Overall, decision makers must consider some important questions in regards to reliability and security features of wireless M2M communication and networking solutions before ever selecting a technology, including:

·         What is the M2M communications technology controlling or automating? Is it essential that it operates without failure?

·         What data is being collected and/or transmitted with this technology? Is it time-sensitive and/or mission-critical?

·         What technology solutions have a proven track record for the applications being served?

·         What external factors might impact the reliable transmission and receipt of critical data from one point to another?

·         How does this M2M communications technology address challenges such as data encryption, network access control and signal interference?

·         Do we need this technology solution to be fail-safe, in order to prevent or eliminate catastrophic damage from occurring?

·         Is cybersecurity or physical security a greater concern for this deployment?

Proprietary wireless communication technologies and devices (especially when they offer many “knobs” and configuration options to create private, user-defined networks) actually offer a higher degree of security. But even those technologies are subject to security and reliability threats.

Therefore, network access control is one of the most important security features for M2M communication and networking technology for preventing unauthorized access and intrusion. A proven communication-network security strategy should go even further and protect data “in transit,” as well. Even if an unauthorized device manages to gain access to the M2M communication network, it isn’t necessarily gaining access to the actual data without passing yet another layer of security. Last, a communication network security strategy needs to address and implement policies that serve as safeguards, which make it difficult to circumvent security measures and limit the potential impact of a security breach.