The Internet Of Things For The Hospitality Industry - Al-enterprise

The Internet of Things for theHospitality IndustryBuild a secure foundation to leverage IoTbusiness opportunitiesSolution BriefEducationIoTin Hospitality

IoT fundamentally changes the hospitalitybusiness equationThe Internet of Things (IoT) has thepotential to transform the hospitalityindustry by profoundly altering howhotels, resorts, cruise ships, casinos,restaurants and other leisure servicebusinesses gather data, interfacewith users and automate processes.IoT refers to the networking ofphysical objects through the use ofembedded sensors, actuators andother devices that can collect andtransmit information about real-timeactivities in an environment. When IoTis combined with technologies suchas user mobility and data analytics, itbrings a new paradigm in hospitality.IoT enables organizations to: Improve guest experiences byoffering new amenities, servicesand a unique digital experience todifferentiate from the competition. Optimize processes by reducingoperating costs, increasingproductivity and developing newservices. Learn more about guest needs andpreferences, enabling businesses tooffer more personalized productsand services. Make businesses smarter and moreefficient by proactively monitoringcritical infrastructure and creatingmore efficient processes.IoT scenarios in the hospitality industryIoT solutions promise to make businesses in the hospitalityindustry smarter and more successful at what they do. Hereare examples of how IoT solutions provide opportunities forthe hospitality industry to better serve customers, increasethe efficiency of operations and provide differentiatedservices: Smart devices that turn ordinary mirrors into personalinteractive information stations to enable guests to managehotel room functions, ambiance and entertainment. Witha simple touch, guests can connect with hotel servicesand access information, including local news, weather andtraffic. Autonomous indoor delivery robots that automate hotelroom service. Employing sensors, artificial intelligence andmachine learning, the robots are able to operate elevatorsand navigate crowds while handling tasks such as roomdeliveries quickly, safely and reliably. Through use of connected thermostats, hotels can adjustguest room temperatures at check-in and checkout toeliminate the cost of cooling or heating vacant rooms.Linking thermostats with other sensors, air conditioningturns off automatically when a guest opens a window orbalcony door; automated window coverings close duringafternoon sunshine to reduce temperature swings. Preventative maintenance IoT systems identify applianceor equipment issues before they become costly problems.In guest rooms, sensors can monitor HVAC systems andautomatically notify maintenance when units are beginningto fail.Solution BriefIoT in Hospitality2

Challenges of IoTdeploymentThe IoT brings unprecedented flowsof data, presenting performance,operational and managementchallenges to the networkinfrastructure, along with increasedsecurity risks from all end-points. Toaddress these issues, hotels, resortsand other hospitality businesses needto adapt traditional network designsto provide new levels of networkintelligence, automation and security.These businesses need a cost-effectivenetwork infrastructure that securelyhandles vast flows of data and is alsosimple to manage and operate. Theinfrastructure must: Provide a simple, automatedprocess for IoT device onboarding.Large IoT systems can containthousands of devices or sensors,and manually provisioning andmanaging all of these endpointsis complex and error-prone.Automated onboarding enablesthe network infrastructure todynamically recognize devices andassign them to the appropriatesecured network. Supply the correct networkresources for the IoT system torun properly and efficiently. Manydevices in the IoT system delivermission-critical information thatrequires a specific level of QoS. Forexample, Smart TV’s (IPTV) requireproper bandwidth reservationson a high-performance networkinfrastructure to ensure servicedelivery quaility. Provide a secure environmentagainst cyberattacks and dataloss. Because the many networkeddevices and sensors in the IoT leadto a corresponding abundance ofpotential attack vectors, securityis critical for mitigating risks ofcybercrime. Security is necessaryat multiple levels, includingcontainment of the IoT networksthemselves.Solution BriefIoT in HospitalityIT professionals are makingplans for more IoTIT professionals in a variety ofindustries are already planning forincreased use of IoT solutions in thenear future. According to the 451Research survey 2017 Trends inthe Internet of Things, 67 percentof responding IT professionals saidtheir companies had either alreadydeployed an IoT solution, or hadan IoT system in pilot. Twenty-onepercent of respondents said theircompanies planned to deploy IoTsolutions within 12 months, with 11percent claiming their companies’plans for implementing IoT were overa year away.3

The IoT compounds an organization’sexposure to cyber crimeThe growth of IoT in the hospitality industry also brings an explosion of cybersecurity threats, as the proliferation of sensors and connected devices greatlyexpands the network attack surface. IoT is especially susceptible because manyIoT devices are manufactured without security in mind, or built by companiesthat don’t understand current security requirements. Consequently, IoT systemsare increasingly the weak link in network security for hospitality businesses. After breaching a smart fish tank, cybercriminalsinfiltrated the data network at a North American casino in2017. The hackers infiltrated the connected fish tank toget into the casino’s network, which they scanned to findvulnerabilities elsewhere. The hackers began relaying datato a device in Finland before the threat was discoveredand stopped.¹ The electronic key system at Austria’s Romantik SeehotelJaegerwirt was hacked in January 2017, leaving guestslocked out of their rooms and the hotel locked out of itsown computer system, until the hotel paid the Bitcoinransom.² The CIA has tools for hacking IoT devices, such as SamsungSmartTVs, Wikileaks revealed in 2017. Operatives areable to hack into smart devices to remotely recordconversations in hotel or conference rooms.³Solution BriefIoT in HospitalityAs part of Def Con 24,penetration test experts PenTest Partners demonstrated howeasy it was to hack into a smartthermostat and create fullyfunctioning ransomware thatcould lock a user out until theypaid up.⁴4

Building a secure IoT network infrastructurefor hospitalityProtecting IoT traffic and devices is a challenge that can’t be solved by anysingle security technology. It requires a strategic approach that takes advantage of multiplesecurity safeguards.To help hotels, casinos, resorts and other hospitality businesses take advantage of the benefitsand mitigate the risks of IoT deployments, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) provides a multi-levelsecurity strategy. ALE’s strategy delivers protection at every layer of the infrastructure, from theindividual user and device out to the network layer itself. It also provides an IoT containmentstrategy to simplify and secure device onboarding and deliver the right network resources torun the system properly and efficiently, all in a secure environment to safeguard hospitalitybusinesses from cyberattack.IoT containmentIn-depth securityTo enable IoT containment, all users, devices andapplications within the ALE network are assigned profiles.These profiles, which define roles, access authorizations,QoS levels and other policy information, are relayed to allswitches and access points in the network.In addition to IoT containment, ALE networkingtechnologies provide layered security across multiplelevels of the network. Devices are placed in “virtual containers” using networkvirtualization techniques that allow multiple devicesand networks to use the same physical infrastructure,while remaining isolated from the rest of the network. In these virtual containers, QoS and security rules areapplied. By segregating the network with virtual containers, ifa breach does occur in one part of the virtual network,it does not affect other devices or applications in othervirtual networks. When a new IoT device is connected, the networkautomatically recognizes its profile and assigns thedevice to the appropriate virtual environment. Communication is limited to the devices within thatvirtual environment and to the application in the datacenter that controls these devices. Because all users also have profiles within the ALEnetwork, access to the IoT virtual containers can belimited to authorized individuals and groups. At the user level, profiles ensure users areauthenticated and authorized with the appropriateaccess rights. At the device level, the network ensures thatdevices are authenticated and compliant withestablished security rules. At the application level, the network can establishrules regarding each application or group ofapplications, including blocking, limiting bandwidthand controlling who can access which application. At the network level, ALE switches benefit fromsecure diversified code. It protects networks fromintrinsic vulnerabilities, code exploits, embeddedmalware and potential back doors that couldcompromise switches, routers and other missioncritical hardware. ALE smart analytics use deep packet inspection andother technologies to detect the type of data andapplications moving through the network, making itpossible to identify unusual network traffic patternsand unauthorized activity.IoT devices pose risks to assets across theentire network. By establishing containers viavirtual network segmentation, IoT devices andthe applications that control them are isolated,thereby reducing threats without the cost orcomplexity of separate networks.Solution BriefIoT in Hospitality5