Yossi Atias, General Manager, IoT Security, BullGuard, provided insight on several key industry trends ahead of Parks Associates’ 21st-annual CONNECTIONS™ Conference, which will be held May 23-25 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport:

How is your company engaging consumers through new technology solutions?

Dojo by Bullguard is a new modern product that uses the most advanced technologies available for consumer engagement. From a business point of view, we’re using social media, online advertising (all channels) but the most innovative way we are engaging consumers is through the Dojo by Bullguard app.

The Dojo by Bullguard smart home security device was designed from day one as a consumer device for "non-techies". The Dojo intelligent service provides enterprise grade seamless security and privacy solution for the average consumer. Its major advantage is that it does not require any prior knowledge in networking nor cyber security, hence makes high grade cyber security service accessible and affordable for any smart home owners.

The Dojo smartphone app is easy to use and intuitive, empowering the user in gaining visibility and control over his or her home network in a very simple manner.

The Dojo app alerts and guides the user via an intuitive chat interface. Malware detections and prevention such as Mirai is a good example where the user does not have to do anything. The Dojo intelligent engine detects malware such as Mirai and automatically blocks them or their execution. The app is based on a security-bot which interacts with the end user in a chat mode. This process simplifies the interaction with the service as it interacts with the end user with the most common tool – a chat-bot.

What is the biggest change you have seen in the past year in the connected home and entertainment industries?

The biggest change we have seen is this domain is a system level approach towards smart connected devices rather than collection of devices. Increasingly devices are interacting with each other providing integrated experience. for example, Amazon’s Alexa activated devices. The second element is the understanding from all vendors that a security is not an “optional feature,” but one that is at the core of the successful smart home market.

What is the biggest driver for the connected consumer market?

The biggest drivers for the connected consumer market is functionality, simplicity, design and affordability. More and more people realize the benefits that come with home automation. Affordability and simplicity make those benefits accessible for a mass market and not just early adopters.

What is the greatest challenge for the connected home industry in the next year?

The greatest challenge in the next year will be security and privacy. There have been too many cyber security incidents in the past year. Consumer concerns regarding their privacy is significantly growing.

According to analysts at Gartner, the number of connected devices is forecast to reach more than 21 billion by 2020 - meaning this fear is only going to continue to grow. Some exploits are used directly against specific devices; however, some are used just as a tool to compromise other devices that contains sensitive and personal data.

The more connected and unprotected devices used by consumers, the more we will see continued cybersecurity attacks. That could cause real damage to smart home technology adoption, hence must be prioritized by the whole industry.

Atias will speak on the session “Protecting Consumers: Privacy and Device Security” on Thursday, May 25 at 11:45 a.m. Joining Atias on the panel are speakers from Bitdefender, CUJO IoT Security, NXP Semiconductors, and Open Connectivity Foundation.

For more information on CONNECTIONS™, visit www.connectionsus.com or register by clicking here.

Next: Sridhar Solur, SVP, Comcast presents opening keynote: “Humanizing Connected Home Experiences: Using Machine Learning and Voice Control” at 21st annual CONNECTIONS
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