Update (2/14): Cisco has an update on its clock signal component issue, and has announced that those elgible for defective device replacement include:

We are quickly entering a time in which the laws and regulations are outpaced by the exponential growth of technology. Who will be held accountable when an IMD (Implantable Medical Device) -- such as an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators) -- with Wi-Fi connectivity receives an erroneous data transmission from a spoofed doctor’s account changing the patient's normal heart rhythm for an abnormal one?

For years I’ve worked in the telephony industry, both on the customer and reseller side. While on the customer side, it was always a struggle to get my leaders to even accept the fact we had a contact center (call center in those days). They would respond, “No, no, no. We just need some people to answer customer calls. We don’t need a call center.”

As we enter the new year, experts predict cybersecurity spending to surpass $1 trillion from 2017 through 2021, as companies struggle to keep up with a global spike in cybercrime. With this trend expected to continue for the foreseeable future, it’s no surprise that businesses everywhere are shifting their budgets to accommodate for the growing cost of cybersecurity.

According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index, there will be 3.4 networked devices per capita by 2020. This represents 26.3 billion networked devices and nearly a 40% increase in just five years. To handle this flood of new devices, many companies today are utilizing the cloud to connect devices to the corporate network. Is it any surprise that cybersecurity has become one of the top priorities for businesses?

As I browse the aisles of Home Depot and Lowes, it’s quite impressive and, at the same time unsettling as an IT Security Professional to see the increasing amount of IoT (Internet of Things) devices being developed and offered to target the “Smart Home.”