IoT Security and Edge Computing Trends Forecast for 2018

In 2017, Internet of Things (IoT) devices became more prevalent in everyday life and began to be exploited for cyber attacks.

Industry experts discuss how IoT will evolve in 2018, emphasizing that device security remains a major worry.

Larry Cashdollar, senior engineer at Akamai’s security intelligence team, warns that manufacturers must prioritize software security, as vulnerable devices not only become attack vectors but also jeopardize consumer privacy and overall Internet stability.

According to Yibaili’s 2018 data‑breach forecast, IoT vulnerabilities will cause widespread disruption, trigger new security regulations, and become prime targets for sophisticated hackers and ransomware, potentially compromising smart thermostats, connected vehicles, and other everyday objects.

Bomgar product director Sam Elliott notes that despite growing awareness, many developers still overlook security, leading to massive botnets and complex threat scenarios involving smart toys and other interconnected gadgets.

Kris Beevers, co‑founder and CEO of NS1, predicts that enterprises may struggle with the massive data generated by IoT; by 2020, an estimated 10 billion devices will be deployed, yet only half of the sensor data is currently collected and analyzed, putting pressure on DNS infrastructure and demanding edge‑computing solutions to reduce latency.

Beevers describes this as a shift toward edge computing, where distributed architectures move processing closer to IoT devices and rely on intelligent traffic management to route workloads efficiently.

Sastry Malladi, CTO of FogHorn Systems, foresees a broader move to edge models, with hardware vendors expanding product lines for edge processing, enabling industrial IoT (IIoT) deployments that drive new revenue streams and significant productivity gains.

Malladi also highlights that IIoT will force tighter collaboration between IT and operational technology (OT) teams, narrowing the gap between these departments as digital investments become critical to success.

Gina Murphy, senior VP of Application Services at Rackspace, points out that ERP systems must overcome connectivity and standardization challenges to benefit from IoT, emphasizing the need for real‑time data capture, analysis, and AI‑driven insights to reduce costs and improve decision‑making.

Murphy adds that in 2018 enterprises will explore new storage solutions and push data to where it’s needed, leveraging managed services that integrate applications and provide a single pane of glass for IT operations.

The article concludes by inviting readers to share their thoughts on the major IoT developments expected in the coming year.