Starfleet Research, the leading authority in benchmarking best practices in technology-enabled business initiatives in the hospitality sector, has published a new research report titled “IoT Security: Best Practices of Top-Performing Hotels and Resorts.” The report, underwritten by global cybersecurity leader Palo Alto Networks, offers a comprehensive analysis of the current state of IoT security in the hotel industry, providing actionable recommendations for enhancing protection against IoT-based threats.
The 25-page report, based on the experiences of over 350 hoteliers and industry professionals, reveals that hotels and resorts are increasingly integrating IoT devices to boost operational efficiency and guest experiences. Key findings include:
– 64% of hotels have deployed energy management solutions, connected lighting, and water monitoring applications to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste.
– 76% of hotels have implemented IoT technology for smart guest engagement and security systems.
However, this growing reliance on IoT devices has led to a surge in security concerns:
– 83% of hotels have experienced one or more security breaches related to their IoT devices in the past three years.
– 95% of hoteliers cite financial loss, customer data theft, brand reputational damage, and operational disruptions as top concerns related to cyber attacks via IoT devices.
The report also reveals a significant confidence gap among hoteliers regarding their ability to safeguard IoT devices:
– Only 35% of hoteliers are “very confident” in their ability to safeguard the IoT devices on their networks.
– 42% of hoteliers acknowledge being “somewhat unconfident” or “not at all confident” in their current ability to safeguard against IoT security threats.
Despite recognizing the severity of the problem, many hotels are not adequately addressing the risks:
– Only 31% of hoteliers have “complete visibility of all devices, including quick and accurate discovery of previously unseen and unmanaged devices.”
– 73% of hoteliers cite the “complexity of [their] IoT ecosystem” as a top challenge when it comes to improving their IoT security capabilities.
– 76% of hoteliers cite “technology shortcomings of [their] current security solution(s)” as a top challenge their organizations face in securing their IoT devices.
– 78% of hoteliers say their organizations lack IoT security technology that utilizes “network segmentation by least privileged trust zones following the Zero Trust security principles.”
The report underscores the transformative potential of IoT technology for the hotel industry, while also cautioning against the serious risks posed by unsecured networks. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the context of IoT devices on a network to ensure adequate protection, detailing the challenges posed by unknown IoT security threats, such as zero-day vulnerabilities.
“To future-proof their networks, hotels must adopt scalable cloud-based IoT security solutions that utilize the latest technologies, including virtualization and trusted IoT approaches,” said Mariana Rosen, lead research analyst at Starfleet Research.
The research for this report was conducted in Q1 2024, capturing the perspectives of 372 qualified respondents across the world and across various types and sizes of lodging properties. The respondents included hotel IT and cybersecurity leaders, IT staff, and other industry practitioners with firsthand experience in IoT security within their hotel organizations.
This report, which is currently available for complimentary download, is the latest in a series on the topic of IoT security in different industry sectors produced by Starfleet Research, in partnership with Palo Alto Networks. Other titles in the series include “IoT Security: Best Practices of Top-Performing Organizations in the Public Sector, “IoT Security: Best Practices of Top-Performing Organizations in Retail” and “IoT Security: Best Practice of Top-Performing Organizations in Healthcare” (coming soon).
Starfleet Research is a world leader in benchmarking best practices in technology-enabled business initiatives. Our research reports, focusing on how companies can maximize performance and achieve their desired objectives with respect to specific technology-enabled business initiatives, are read by thousands of industry practitioners and others around the world. Our digital content assets, including our Smart Decision Guides, are widely considered to be the most authoritative industry resources for IT decision makers charged with evaluating and making technology purchases.
This post was originally published on the 3rd party site mentioned in the title of this this site