• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, January 28, 2016

It seems like almost every day a there’s one form or another security issue that arises around The Internet of Things.

We’ve had stories of the Barbie doll with interactive voice in the cloud allowing potential access to a home, a Jeep hacked by researchers as it rode along and smart doorbells, through which an innovative outsider could gain access to the home network.

Many of the security breaches, or at least the theory of some of them, often are relayed in somewhat of a vacuum.

Now Forrester has taken a stab at putting the issue of security in context, showing that while software technologies for the IoT are in the growth phase, security lags.

IoT security is not simple.

For example, IoT security components ca include monitoring, alerting, encryption between devices, data security, application security and secure registration, according to Forrester’s TechRadar: Internet of Things report.

The problem is that the technologies and strategies around security still are emerging while smart objects continue to proliferate into the marketplace.

In terms of phases of IoT development, Forrester identified expected timeframes for elements to reach the next phase.

The shortest phase is for IoT device identify management, estimated at under a year. So knowing which device is where seems to be somewhat under control, a critical first step.

Most of the development phases are estimated to take from one to three years to reach the next phase.

These include software applications and platforms (essential for marketing), analytics databases and advanced analysis capabilities.

The not-so-good news is that security falls in the area of taking from one to three years, but lagging all of the other elements in terms of where it is today.

For a marketing and advertising standpoint, this means an extra focus on security along with privacy will have to be front and center in any planning or implementation.

The obvious risk in any IoT marketing effort that’s not secure to the max is that someone could gain access to the actual messaging, and modify it before it reaches the consumer.

And that would instantly become a very widely reported story.