Bell Canada launched a managed IoT security service today, aimed at businesses who use Internet-connected sensors, video cameras and switches, as well as municipalities trying to be smart cities.
“With our new Managed IoT Security service Bell is extending its expertise in both IoT services and managed network protection to business users and Canada’s growing community of Smart Cities,” Nauby Jacob, vice president of products and services at Bell Mobility. “Our multi-layered security approach is focused on keeping our customers’ IT infrastructure and systems safe and secure as they rapidly adopt new IoT technologies.”
Telecom companies have been offering IoT-related services for several years as use of IoT devices has spread.
The Bell service goes live ahead of a 5G IoT network announced last month by Rogers Communications, which the company said will be active before the end of the year.
Internet of Things devices can range from location transmitters in trucks for fleet management, safety sensors in pipelines, temperature sensors in warehouse refrigerators traffic video cameras for municipalities and video cameras in stores that can count the number of customers who enter and their dwell time.
The Bell announcement quotes an IDC Canada estimation that 81 per cent of medium and large-sized organizations here are already using IoT solutions.
Bell said the IoT managed security service analyzes all IoT traffic for data that could pose a threat to IoT solutions, blocks access to and prevents downloads from destinations known to carry malicious content and allows controlled access through customized policy-based rules.