Secure your IoT Infrastructure with Blockchain
The distributed ledger technology that is Blockchain is reported to be the single greatest asset that companies and indeed the individual, can invest in, in the very near future. The success that the technology had in terms of cryptocurrency in no secret, and some experts have even claimed that Blockchain technology is a much better investment than the currencies themselves, in the long run.
Potential for IoT Improvement via Blockchain
The IoT framework operates on several levels, with the weakest link between the levels, and the connected users being the sensors which are constantly accumulating information to be stored and processed. The sensors are not minotored and the transaction of data is not secured within the transcaction channels.
At the moment, the IoT model is based on a single failure point; as in it is centralized, with all of the data being collected and ultimately analyzed by a single source. This presents a significant disadvantage on the network’s part, since it leaves all of the collected data vulnerable to hackers if they can access the cloud server or any of the routers.
The Blockchain system is different, in that it employs more than one source of data analysis and storage. The distributed ledger system that Blockchain operates on, spreads the data storage and processing capabilities, as well as access permissions across the entire network, with all of the devices being the barrier between hackers and the treasure trove of data.
The best practical example of a successful Blockchain application is Bitcoin, which has proven to be extremely secure, over the years. The security prospects, and the potential for process improvement that Blockchain brings to the IoT network, make it an advantageous system, as far as future functionality and widespread application is concerned.
Implementation of Blockchain into an IoT Infrastructure
An IoT infrastructure is based on the connection of several devices and people in a secure network, one which does not share content with the rest of the internet at large. This model is very beneficial to the main executive parties in the network, with the majority of the functioning of the system in their hand.
This is because an IoT based system allows for a number of processes to take place in a controlled setting, with minimal outside influence, and considerable connectivity which eases data relay.
Introducing the distributed ledger system can be like strengthening the already secure network even further, while allowing each member of the network to use it freely. On the individual front though, the real benefits are visible, since the data of the personal user can be secured further. This data may be anything, from personal details to even Bitcoin!
An IoT infrastructure can also benefit from the individual connection that the Blockchain system offers to the user, with no latency caused by relation and connections to another user.
All in all, the sooner Blockchain technology is implemented on to IoT based infrastructures, the better, in terms of both data security and user benefit.