The IoT Visibility Crisis — Why You Can’t Secure What You Can’t See
It usually starts with something small:
A firmware update that never gets applied, a device added to the network that no one logs, or a patch that’s missed because no one knew the asset existed in the first place. A security breach that came from some device.
These aren’t isolated oversights — they’re signals of a deeper visibility problem. For most organizations, that problem lives in one of the most overlooked parts of their environment: connected devices.
From HVAC sensors to embedded network equipment, IoT is everywhere. But unlike traditional IT assets, these devices are often decentralized, inconsistently tracked, and hard to monitor and manage. They don’t support endpoint tools. They vary by vendor and manufacturer. They run proprietary or outdated firmware. And most critically, they often go unseen.
What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
Every connected device has the potential to introduce risk and security issues. But it’s not just the known risks that matter — it’s the blind spots.
Recent studies show that nearly half of enterprise organizations can’t identify every device on their network. Even more lack a consistent process for tracking compliance or vulnerability exposure. That’s thousands of connected assets, many capable of transmitting sensitive critical data, operating with little or no oversight.
This isn’t just a security problem. It’s a compliance and governance issue, an operational burden, and a reputational and legal risk.
SomosID: Turning Visibility Into Control
SomosID was built to solve this problem at the source. It’s a registry for connected devices that brings together critical identity and security data of all your connected devices in one place.
Think:
Make, model, serial number
Network identifiers like MAC, IMSI and ICCID
Firmware and certification status
Lifecycle details like activation and ownership status, updates and end-of-life
And vulnerability insights including SBOM details and known exploits
With this intelligence, operational and security teams can stop not knowing about their online and connected IoT devices and start managing devices with detailed visibility and clarity from procurement through decommissioning.
You can’t “secure” what you can’t see, and with SomosID, you don’t have to guess.
Ready to take the first step toward connected device visibility and security? Reach out to us at iot@somos.com and let’s start closing the gap — one device at a time.