• In 2007 there were 500 million connected devices or 1/10th of a connected device per person worldwide. In 2010, there are now 35 billion (5 connected devices per person). In 2013, Forester Research projects that there will be 1 trillion (140 per person) connected devices.
• In 2007 there were about 3000 total mobile applications. In 2010, there are 265,000 mobile applications. Current growth trends estimate in 2013 there will be 1.5 million mobile applications.
• In 2007 there were approximately 624,000 security threats (the document doesn’t specify what this really means). In 2010, there will be 2.6 million security threats. The Symantec and Cisco projection for 2013 predicts 5.7 million security threats.

It is amazing how much things in the IT world have changed in the past three years and taking that projection out another three years seems staggering. How is an organization supposed to handle the growing environment and the growing threats? Cisco offers some suggestions in this report:

1. Close gaps in situational awareness. Be aware of the totality of the network.
2. Focus first on solving “old” issues – and doing it well. Begin making improvements in the area of software updates and patches.
3. Educate your workforce on security – and include them in the process. Remember in information sec-u-r-it-y, You Are IT (U-R-IT). Kinda cheesy I know but it is a basic truth. We are all responsible for IT security.
4. Understand that one security border is no longer enough. Business has now become borderless and mobile.
5. View security as a differentiator for your business. “How an enterprise approaches security and responds to trends such as social networking and mobility can have a direct impact on ability to hire and retain talent.”

What do you think is going to happen in the next 3 years with regards to devices, applications, and security threats? Is the Cisco on target, or off base? Let me and other ITKE readers know your thoughts. Thanks for reading and let’s continue to be good network citizens.

While you are her on ITKE, why not take some time, read through a few of my blog postings, maybe there is something there that would be of value to you or someone else you know. Send your fellow IT peers to ITKE. Make this the best free online support community and a one-stop shop for getting the support you need for those IT issues we each face every day.

Some of my blogs that will hopefully be of interest to you include:

What did I just do with my contacts list? – Social Engineering/Networking & contact list scraping

Network speed & capacity are NOT the same

Financial crisis due to poor risk understanding & management – IT security next?

Nifty tools for tracking down that “interesting” network traffic

PROTOCOL analysis vs protocol analysis (with a small p)

Good luck with the contest! Stay tuned for more and thanks for reading. Let’s continue to be good network citizens together.

Thanks for reading & let’s continue to be good network citizens.