A Comparative Analysis of Business and Non-business Students Awareness of IoT Devices and Security Practices: An Exploratory Study

The Internet of Things (IoT), through its interconnected devices, are designed to make our lives easier. Many students own and consistently use smart devices that are part of the IoT family. However, this ease of use comes with security issues such as lower encryption, authentication and identity management. This study examines student awareness of IoT devices and security practices for protecting oneself when using them. The study finds that students are largely unaware of devices that are considered part of IoT or what are the security best practices. The implication from the exploratory study is that educational opportunities should be added to the curriculum to ensure students across the University are aware of both technologies as they may someday be a consumer or developer of IoT technologies.