Most IoT devices in use today, despite many being incredibly innovative, are silent objects which can’t react when most needed. And as we know, this isn’t ideal as the IoT is under regular attack from hackers looking to exploit valuable data or devices.

Consequently, it’s crucial we, as a community with a vested interest in the IoT, work to ensure our devices are not only protected, but can also communicate with us when needed. When a situation changes, a device needs to be able to inform the service provider or manufacturer (or both) to alert them immediately.

This is a problem, particularly regarding poor device connectivity and security, that is already under the microscope of the GSMA, as you can see from their guidelines earlier this year (See Annex A for example cases where problematic IoT Device behavior has impacted network and device performance).

It’s clear device QoS (quality of service) must be a focus here and is intrinsically linked to a high quality of security – after all, better connectivity will help ensure any cyber-attacks/hacks are identified more quickly. This focus is needed badly – especially as IoT security has never been more important than it is today. Here are five (we could give many more) examples of why this is the case.