In my opinion, the primary focus in construction tends to be on operations, with less emphasis on data collection, extraction, and processing. As a result, our security is often compromised. We should place greater importance on having professional data mining experts on construction sites.

Ensuring data security in construction when using IoT devices is crucial due to the sensitive nature of the information involved. Here are some strategies to safeguard it: 1. Encrypt data both in transit and at rest to protect it from unauthorized access. 2. Use secure communication protocols like HTTPS, SSL/TLS, and VPNs to protect data transmitted between IoT devices and central systems. 3. Keep all IoT devices and systems updated with the latest security patches to protect against known vulnerabilities. 4. Implement strict access control measures, use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for an added layer of security. 5. Continuously monitor IoT devices and networks for unusual activity.

This is an interesting faculty of discussion which has been progressing in the last 6-7 years. My submission is that for major projects, the must be an Operational Technology Network (OT) fully isolated from any Internet connecting device. This must be separate from the Information Technology Network (IT) which every other device on the project site uses. We find that most IoT devices do a specific task and mostly only need Internet to report to an iteractive platform server. If this platform is on OT Network, then these IoT devices do still efficiently and effectively perform their tasks. Occasionally, proxy internet connection from trusted and whitelisted repositories is then allowed for patching and updates.