Could you sell a network of RoboCops?
Steve Demianyk muses on the practicalities of an Internet of Things
A remake of the classic 1987 sci-fi film RoboCop came out recently. In the new version, the huge, faceless corporation known as OmniCorp dominates the futuristic world of 2028.
OmniCorp controls a huge fleet of robots to keep the peace overseas, and also the eponymous RoboCop, Alex Murphy. This relaunch is pretty timely. Although the original film was made more than 25 years ago, it ties in perfectly with a topic close to my heart in 2014: the Internet of Things.
While watching the film, I couldn't help but wonder about the fictional workday of OmniCorp's IT partner. What headaches might he or she have, advising a company on running a fleet of robots controlled through a network connection?
For the benefit of all self-respecting, reselling sci-fi fans out there, I've attempted to add a little Hollywood glamour to my otherwise sales-focused day and share some thoughts on the parallels and relative challenges.
Officer down - "They'll fix you. They fix everything" As in many good sci-fi films, there are plenty of explosions. Robots are destroyed left, right and centre, including during an epic battle between robots and RoboCop. In a less dramatic fashion, IT professionals dealing with the Internet of Things will have to deal with connected devices going down or losing their connection.
IT partners need the right tools, ones that will alert them when a small fault or communication error occurs, or if a server is reaching capacity, in order to prevent any downtime affecting the network. Officer down: send in reinforcements, quick.
Missing in action – "Looking for me?"
OmniCorp is able to track RoboCop's location on an interactive map, displayed on a screen as he speeds around the city on his motorbike. There is a tracker on his helmet.
If he becomes damaged or goes AWOL, he can quickly be located and recovered. There are similar tools available today for network managers. For example, if a connected device is hogging bandwidth, they can find its location and resolve the issue. These tools can also be used to pinpoint the location of a fault, perhaps in a damaged access point. MIA mystery solved by smart thinking.
Disobeying commands – "You are in direct violation of Penal Code 1.13, Section 9"
When RoboCop started acting against instructions and becoming a sort of vigilante, it caused a headache for OmniCorp. The same might be said when users start downloading unauthorised software onto company devices.
Shadow IT may not conform to the company's standards in terms of security and can mean that there are inconsistencies feeding into the business operation. What OmniCorp and the real network manager would do is identify the non-conforming behaviour and address it with the support of policy enforcement and disciplinary procedures. I'd imagine that their tactics would be a little different, perhaps.
There are also issues when businesses adopt a BYOD policy. If an employee leaves, he or she may no longer have the company's best interests at heart, and may carry company data on his or her device. In this instance, network managers can take inspiration from RoboCop.
When OmniCorp lost control of RoboCop, it was able to shut him down remotely. Resellers might help by making clear to their customers that a company has the right to remotely wipe all company data from non-company-owned devices.
Protecting Robocop – "You have five seconds to comply"
In the film, RoboCop's crime-fighting abilities were greatly enhanced by the fact that he had police records downloaded into his brain, allowing him to check people's criminal records just by looking at them.
This is an example of the capabilities the Internet of Things can provide. It may allow more devices to share information in this way. However, just like any other device containing important, confidential information, the information stored on RoboCop should be kept secure.
How different might the film have been if RoboCop were hacked, and the bad guys deleted their own information from the database? I'm sure you already advise customers dealing with devices such as smartphones and tablets that leave the office to keep them well protected from any malicious attacks.
Bear in mind though that this means internal as well as external attack. Companies should ensure users know how to keep company data safe while they are out and about. I wonder if RoboCop was password-protected?
Rogue robots – "Dead or alive, you're coming with me"
Excluding half-human RoboCop, OmniCorp ran two types of robot. Luckily for them, this should make it easy to identify if anyone or anything joined the network that should not be there, or was not compatible.
Network managers often struggle with a huge array of devices connecting to the network. In an age of BYOD, each employee could have five different devices in his or her pocket.
A corporate network could become more like OmniCorp and give the network manager an easier time if administrators restrict the types of devices that are permitted to connect. Another option is to implement a corporately owned, personally enabled (COPE) scheme, allowing employees to choose their company device from an approved list.
The future? – "Stay out of trouble"
RoboCop is science fiction, set in the future, suggesting how the world might be. Even though we are a long way away from being policed by half-human, half-robot officers controlled by a huge corporation, everything can be connected. The robots are connected to the network, the network is connected to the police station records, and scientists carry portable screens that control all the equipment in the lab.
These ideas are starting to gather momentum in reality, so plan now to advise enterprises on the vast array of devices that could soon be connecting to a company network.
Is the network infrastructure able to cope? Is the correct network monitoring solution in place? And, at the end of the day, how would you sell a network of RoboCops?
Steve Demianyk is UK and Ireland channel manager at Ipswitch