Prior to Parks Associates’ 22nd-annual CONNECTIONS: The Premier Connected Home Conference, Marcio Avillez, SVP Networks, CUJO AI spoke with the analyst team to discuss the future of connected products, AI, and IoT.

Marcio will be participating on the Security and Data Analytics: Protecting the Connected Consumer panel on Thursday, May 24, at 10:30 AM. Panelists joining him on this session include:

• Rich Bira, Managing Director, USA, Fibaro
• Timo Laaksonen, President, F-Secure Americas, F-Secure
• Sanjay Manney, Sr. Director of Product Management and Marketing, Rambus
• Duane Paulson, VP - Strategic Partnerships, Fing

Given the continual increase in the number of connected products, how can providers ease consumer concerns associated with data security and privacy?

Network operators could ease consumers’ concerns by implementing artificial intelligence solutions. CUJO AI offers network operators cross-spectrum protection for Local Area Networks (LAN) and wireless communications (mobile networks and public WiFi). Our solution extends the protection layer beyond users’ homes.

It protects the devices when they are on public WiFi or mobile networks that are run by the same network operator. CUJO AI endpoint app helps to protect the users even if they use different operators for LAN and wireless connections. This way, the customers can seamlessly control and protect all their devices and their entire online experience from just one app.

How will artificial intelligence (AI) impact the smart home, IoT, and connected entertainment landscapes in 2018 and beyond?

We already have more internet-connected devices, such as personal computers or smartphones, than we have traditional devices. Hundreds of thousands of new IoT devices are being shipped out as you read this sentence. These IoT devices have different capabilities, but all of them are connected to internet.

Home users do not have much control over them: most do not have any idea what their devices are doing on the network, or whether the device was taken over for malicious purposes. It’s rare that consumers would patch their IoT devices. It is crucial to give back the control of the homes to the consumers.

What effect will the implementation of 5G technologies have on connected consumers? What effect will it have on providers?

Implementation of 5G technology will provide increased internet throughput, significantly lower latency and more secure communications. All this will, in turn, result in the more connected world, which, coupled with big data or advanced engineering techniques, may result in some futuristic technologies: zero-latency self-driving cars augmented reality.

On the other hand, the arrival of 5G will be a definite challenge for the service providers. Such technology requires advanced networking and engineering solutions that are costly to both develop and deploy.

How can companies capitalize on consumer interest in a home insurance-smart home connection? What potential impact will that interest have for business models on both sides?

As stated in the State of the Connected Customer, Salesforce Research, 2016, 73% of customers would switch brands if a company offers inconsistent levels of service. And 75 percent of consumers expect companies to provide consistent experience on all platforms (website, social media, mobile, in person).

The growing use of insecure connected devices creates numerous security risks for home users. Manufacturers prioritize low cost and speed-to-market over security. It is usually assumed that the devices will be placed on a secure network, but this is not true in most cases. In addition, hackers create thousands of new malware samples every day. Home networks are more connected, but less protected. Home users know about these risks and seek additional protection. Network operators can holistically solve WiFI problems and provide additional value for their customers.

For more information on CONNECTIONS, visit: www.connectionsus.com.