# Best Practices for IoT Security | Optiv Security's Sean Tufts

- Show: [IoT For All Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast)
- Published: 2021-04-12
- Length: 29m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-12-best-practices-for-iot-security-optiv-securitys-sean-tufts
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iot-for-all/episodes/Best-Practices-for-IoT-Security--Optiv-Securitys-Sean-Tufts-e28bp5o

## Summary

Sean Tufts, Practice Director for OT/IoT at Optiv, discusses the critical importance of visibility and security in IoT deployments, noting that many organizations lack awareness of the devices on their networks. He highlights the risks of cheap, unvetted hardware, citing examples of spyware in retail TVs and breached smart dolls, and emphasizes that security must be integrated into digital transformation rather than treated as an afterthought. Tufts explains how the pandemic accelerated remote access vulnerabilities, leading to incidents like SolarWinds, and advises companies to engage marketing and sales leaders to justify security budgets by aligning them with business goals.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-12-best-practices-for-iot-security-optiv-securitys-sean-tufts#t=0) Introduction: Sean Tufts and Optiv's Role
- [1:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-12-best-practices-for-iot-security-optiv-securitys-sean-tufts#t=70) Sean Tufts' Background: From NFL to Cybersecurity
- [4:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-12-best-practices-for-iot-security-optiv-securitys-sean-tufts#t=248) Optiv's Focus on Cybersecurity and Digital Transformation
- [7:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-12-best-practices-for-iot-security-optiv-securitys-sean-tufts#t=469) The Visibility Problem: Knowing What's on the Network
- [9:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-12-best-practices-for-iot-security-optiv-securitys-sean-tufts#t=588) Criticality and Risk: Smart Dolls and Infrastructure
- [12:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-12-best-practices-for-iot-security-optiv-securitys-sean-tufts#t=769) The Gold Rush for Visibility Tools and Unsecured Devices
- [14:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-12-best-practices-for-iot-security-optiv-securitys-sean-tufts#t=887) Overcoming Resistance: The 'Luddite' Conversation and Budget
- [19:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-12-best-practices-for-iot-security-optiv-securitys-sean-tufts#t=1171) Pandemic Impact: Remote Access and SolarWinds
- [22:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-12-best-practices-for-iot-security-optiv-securitys-sean-tufts#t=1366) Buying Smart: Testing Cheap Hardware and Spyware
- [25:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-12-best-practices-for-iot-security-optiv-securitys-sean-tufts#t=1546) Policy, Legislation, and Holistic Security Approaches

## Topics

- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Optiv (company)
- Palo Alto (company)
- CrowdStrike (company)
- McAfee (company)
- AWS (company)
- Azure (company)
- Google (company)
- General Electric (company)
- Baker Hughes (company)
- SolarWinds (company)
- FireEye (company)
- Microsoft (company)
- Alexa (product)
- NERC (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [192: Button Connected To Nothing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-03-22-192-button-connected-to-nothing) (Embedded.fm)
- [Breaking IoT Connectivity Barriers with Chris Baird, CEO of OptConnect](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2024-07-25-breaking-iot-connectivity-barriers-with-chris-baird-ceo-of-optconnect) (Over the Air)
- [515: Script Boomers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2025-11-27-515-script-boomers) (Embedded.fm)
- [#017 - How *not* to think about IoT, with Michael Vladimer of Orange IoT Studio, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-03-15-017-how-not-to-think-about-iot-with-michael-vladimer-of-orange-iot-studio-usa) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [#000: How New IoT Security Regulations Will Shape the Industry's Future](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-09-17-000-how-new-iot-security-regulations-will-shape-the-industrys-future) (Coredump Sessions)

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