A Reflection on Mobile World Congress

This blog post was written by Nick Viney.

As the dust settles on another busy year at Mobile World Congress, it’s important to reflect not just on the conference itself, but also the key takeaways for the security and consumer tech industry.

MWC is seen by many as the key event for the mobile industry, but one thing I realised this year is the show is moving way beyond being just about mobile. For me, and I’m sure others, it feels like the key focus is now connectivity. MWC has historically been the place where phone manufacturers got the chance to show off their latest handsets. This year however, it felt like the pendulum had swung and handsets were merely part of a much bigger ecosystem. We saw car manufacturers showcasing the latest developments in the connected car space, a host of IoT demos (including our very own Secure Home demo) right the way through to VR, which appeared to feature even more heavily this year than previous years. The proliferation of technology on show that wasn’t traditionally “mobile” was striking, but merely highlighted how fast technology is developing.

Another key theme was 5G. Looking at all the innovation being showcased across the show, the eagerness to get to a sustainable 5G network is obvious because of the connectivity benefits it provides. All these smart devices need a network to operate and the potential offered by 5G is incredibly exciting. However, there’s one more thing which connects all these devices and that’s the need for security. Connected devices are more integral to our lives than ever before and looking at the raft of exciting innovation on show at MWC, that’s only going to increase.

This year’s MWC has proven that innovation in the mobile space is far from slowing down. In fact, it’s adapting to changing trends instead. As security vendors, we need to adjust to ensure we’re staying one step ahead the curve. It’s no longer just the home and work computer that’s internet-connected. The onset of smart homes and connected cars mean we need to have the required security in place, and soon. The implications of increasing the number of connected devices creates potential risk to cyber-attacks much closer to home and as the smart home is only as secure as its weakest link, platforms like our own Secure Home platform will be critical moving forwards. Even everyday objects are being targeted by hackers, so as we move to a more autonomous connected future, it’s critical we’re able to provide the necessary protection for all.

It’s going to be an interesting road but one that we’re excited to go down. To stay on top of the latest consumer and mobile security threats, please do follow me and @McAfee_Home on Twitter, and ‘Like’ us on Facebook.