Werner Styrdom, VP of Technology for Irdeto, answers the following industry questions prior to the 2015 CONNECTIONS Europe event taking place 10-11 November in Amsterdam:

What challenges does Europe face with rolling out new smart home and connected entertainment services?

Cybercrime is big business, and has changed over the years to become a kind of “hacking as a service” – with tools of the trade such as botnets available for rent by the hour.

The rapidly developing market for connected devices of all kinds increases the surface area of attack for criminals and this is a major challenge when it comes to the smart home as   maintaining security is a crucial factor in rolling out smart home and connected entertainment services.

The problem faced by operators in home networks and platforms used to be two-fold – how to both enable the full range of TV services on secondary screens in the home while also getting the content onto un-managed consumer devices in a user-friendly and secure way. However, the smart home adds another level to this which goes beyond just the secure delivery of content across multiple screens.

The challenge is in maintaining security while allowing consumers to experience the possibilities afforded by the smart home – a crucial balance for businesses across Europe.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing your company in the next 12 months?

Irdeto’s biggest challenge is helping operators to respond to the rapid growth in connected entertainment, and to increase the value of the device and grow their revenue by securely offering new interactive services to their consumers. With a large number of IP set-top-boxes (STB) and gateways in the market operators are more at risk than ever before from the activities of cybercriminals.

Sensitive customer details such as billing records and login credentials are available on the devices themselves, while a STB connected within a smart home could act as a gateway to other more sensitive details. Even a ransom threat to an operator, threatening a malware attack that disables the operation of the set-top-box or shuts down the gateways would have far reaching consequences. The service outage alone could cost the operators millions and the effect on the brand could be more devastating, even resulting in a loss of trust.

This largely unexplored frontier for operators is one of many new challenges that will arise for them in the coming 12 months.  Operators must retain their freedom to innovate in a world where technology and ecosystem complexity can seem like a minefield that must be traversed to give the customer what they want.

With many new considerations  needing to be addressed and properly thought through as the market accelerates, operators should look for a trusted partner to guide them through a time of rapid change in the industry.

How will companies leverage the growth in the market in the next 12 months? What is the impact of the Internet Giants (Google, Amazon) getting involved in the market?

The connected home and Internet of Things has seen massive interest in recent times, with most of the global technology players looking to capitalise on the opportunities presented, and this shows no sign of abating over the next year. Gartner forecasts that IoT will witness a 30-fold increase growing to 26 billion units by 2020, the sector promises connected convenience at consumer’s fingertips – from adjusting your home heating when you land back at the airport, to checking your home security remotely if the alarm goes off while you’re out.

Clearly, with a market set to change so rapidly companies looking to operate in this space need to have solutions and services that are flexible enough to move fast and adjust to demands as first to market. Significantly, they must also make sure that security is assured to protect both brand and customers.

The activity of internet giants in this space is going to require a different approach from operators, which must band together to achieve a similar scale. Managed service providers can assist in this process, providing a level of flexibility, reliability and speed that is difficult to match for single businesses. Sharing the investment will result in a rapidly developed, adaptable and cost effective option for operating in this market.

Werner will be speaking at the panel session “Balancing Personalization Solutions with Privacy & Security” on 10 November at 13:00.

For more information on the speakers or sessions at this year's CONNECTIONS Europe event, visit www.connectionseurope.com.

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