Inherent to the narrative about the Internet of Things has been the assumption that greater efficiencies would save consumers time and money. It stands to reason that if your toaster talks to your watch, it would know that about 15 minutes after waking up, you would want your toast to pop up and be plated. Further, it goes without saying that your life would be dramatically improved if your thermostats were in on the conversation, so that the kitchen and breakfast room could begin to warm at about the same time as the toast.

The kingpin of the residential IoT trade is, of course, the home security system, the mechanism by which we appear to be home even when we’re in Tahiti for the weekend. We control the locks and speak to guests at the front door in Milwaukee through the Internet, and they can’t even see the little umbrella drinks in our hands or hear the gently pounding surf in the background. Magic.

And one would expect that the insurance companies would appreciate the appearance of round-the-clock occupancy, maybe even cut the premiums a tad, you know, for the effort. A recent Wall Street Journal article suggests that insurance is, instead, the Abominable “No” Man.

Expect What You Inspect

If IoT devices are not making homes safer, is all that extra connectivity only making consumers more vulnerable? And since these walking bundles of vulnerability are your customers and employees, isn’t the Internet making us all a little less safe? And if that’s the case, shouldn’t we get rid of the Internet before it robs us blind and burns our toast without telling our watch?

Before you unplug, reach out for ICS. We’re like the valium of cybersecurity. It’s going to be okay.