Two smart cities are now being developed in South Africa: one in Gauteng and one in the Eastern Cape. Since this is the way life will develop in the future – where communication and technology are interwoven in every aspect of daily life – more will undoubtedly follow.
From service delivery and public access to universal WiFi, to home automation and smart sensors for city parking, technology will play a central role in smart cities. This will obviously necessitate a greater need for IT security.
In Asia, Europe and America, smart cities are now a reality. At the moment, Shanghai is regarded as the leading smart city, followed by Seoul, Barcelona, Beijing and New York. These cities have made a commitment to digitising urban development, waste management, energy, transport and infrastructure.
The standard of living is already being transformed by this, but in order to shield these digital systems from all types of threats, revolutionary cyber security is essential. In South Africa, this will also be true. The government will need to partner with reliable IT service providers that can offer cutting-edge digital and IT security solutions for smart cities.
IT security risks with smart cities
According to a recent report, if cyber criminals hack or breach the interconnected systems required by smart cities, it could trigger a “cascading failure across key city systems.” IT security systems will need to be highly advanced and always on as this would prove to be extremely expensive and disruptive.
The report also found that many existing smart cities need to prioritise cyber security measures because, in the absence of such measures, they risk being subject to cyber attacks that could disrupt healthcare services, result in traffic accidents and halt the local economy. The risks are always present, but they increase in likelihood if IT security hasn’t been strengthened or implemented.
The primary threat to smart cities is likely ransomware as it will be lucrative for cybercriminals to hold key systems at ransom in exchange for hefty sums of money. However, these risks can be significantly reduced or completely eliminated if IT security is prioritised throughout city planning.
In order to ensure that all aspects of cyber security are taken into account in smart cities, IT security professionals should partner with well-established third-party providers. When it comes to these systems, having additional eyes will always yield better results.
Two fronts of smart city investment
Investment will be needed on two fronts for the development of smart cities in Africa. One would involve investing in the city’s physical infrastructure and interconnected digital systems, while the other would deal with IT security and the granular-level IT architecture, or the “back-end” of the smart city.
Generally, government IT departments are quite competent and knowledgeable about the latest in security systems. By collaborating with managed service providers, governments and smart city leaders will ensure a well-rounded service for residents and businesses.
It is now more important than ever to integrate cyber security into modern city life. City planners and leaders can prevent cyber threats before they occur by being aware of the risks and possible weak points.
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