Day Pitney and NGA Host Legal Forum on the Industrial Internet of Things

Day Pitney and the National Governors Association (NGA) hosted an invitation-only forum, held at the Downtown Harvard Club of Boston, that brought together lawyers, policymakers, cybersecurity experts and other participants to identify and discuss legal issues related to the growing Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The keynote address was given by Michael Janke, a former Navy SEAL and cyber specialist. Janke co-founded Data Tribe, a commercial technology startup studio and venture capital firm focused on cybersecurity, big data and analytics. He has spoken around the world on privacy, cybersecurity and encryption, and recently received the "Visionary of the Year" award from the Center for Technology & Democracy. Following the keynote, Steven Cash spoke about objectives and terms of reference in preparation for the breakout roundtables, which included discussions on "Cybersecurity & the IIoT" and "Law, Policy & the IIoT." Participants were engaged in dynamic and insightful dialogues about key issues and discussed follow-on action.

Key points included:

• What is the IIoT? The IIoT is a network of communications that links elements of industrial systems to customers. It is the industrial equivalent to the more familiar "Internet of Things" (IoT).
• Why does it matter? After computers, the IIoT is the biggest revolution of how the economy functions. If the IoT can give us a smart house, the IIoT can give us a smart economy. The IIoT is the 21st century equivalent of the 19th century railways.
• The IIoT requires cutting-edge law. Along with new opportunities, the IIoT brings new risks and requires sophisticated, forward-leaning legal strategies.
• It's not just cybersecurity. A wide range of legal disciplines—commercial contracting, liability, antitrust and intellectual property—will interplay with the IIoT. 

For more information, please contact Steven Cash.

For a summary on the forum, please click here.