New consumer research from Parks Associates finds 35% of US broadband households report having a data security problem in the past year, including malware/spyware infection, loss of privacy, and data/identity theft.
The firm is examining the rise of cybersecurity threats and the added stress on the home network at its virtual CONNECTIONS Conference (Nov. 10-12), sponsored by cybersecurity leader Bitdefender.
"In recent months, the security of the average home network has become exponentially more critical," said Elizabeth Parks, President, Parks Associates. "More activities and use cases are going across more devices, and that increases exposure to risk. Consumers are aware, with nearly 80% stating they are concerned about security and privacy issues at home, with identity theft as the leading threat. At CONNECTIONS, we will examine the ways and unique approaches developed by industry leaders like Bitdefender to combat these threats, allay consumer concerns, and build new opportunities for value-added services."
The virtual conference on November 10-12 is the capstone event of the firm's CONNECTIONS Community series in 2020, which has featured multiple networking events throughout the year. CONNECTIONS brings together industry leaders to network and discuss the growing smart home market, with over 1,000 community members who can network, visit sponsor booths, and participate in panel discussions. Among this year's platinum sponsors is Bitdefender, a global cybersecurity leader protecting over 500 million systems in more than 150 countries.
Bitdefender participated in the first session of the virtual conference, State of the Smart Home Market in a Year of Disruption on November 10. The session started with a visionary presentation from Noopur Davis, EVP, Chief Product and Information Security Officer, Comcast, titled "A Multifaceted Approach to IoT Security." Then Ankur Snood, Business Development Director, Service Providers, Bitdefender, participated on the panel, Tipping Points and Triggers for Connected Home Services, which also featured executives from Intellithings Ltd., OnTech Smart Services / Dish Network, and Plume.
"As adoption of smart things continues to grow, so has the risk of having our home networks compromised," said Razvan Todor, Bitdefender's Director of Connected Home Security. "We've mobilized staff with this single-minded focus and have come out with our most advanced, most powerful solutions to protect both traditional devices and IoTs and offer, through multiple layers of security, more privacy and personal information protection."
CONNECTIONS Community Sponsors virtual event include Sutherland Global Services, Alarm.com, Bitdefender, Nice, Cox, Intellithings, Cirrent, Everise, MMB Networks, ServiceLive, Zen Ecosystems, Firedome, Inspire, Mercku, Olibra, Ossiaco, Plume, Tuya, Zigbee Alliance, Z-Wave, Aprilaire, Asurion, Gadgeon, and Wi-Charge.