Industry 4.0: An Overview of Key Benefits, Technologies, and Challenges

A new revolution known as Industry 4.0 is occurring where countless elements comprising industrial systems are being interfaced with internet communication technologies to form the smart factories and manufacturing organizations of the future. Industry 4.0 and its associated technologies are currently being driven by disruptive innovation that promises to bring countless new value creation opportunities across all major market sectors. However, existing Internet technologies are plagued by cybersecurity and data privacy issues that will present major challenges and roadblocks for adopters of Industry 4.0 technologies. Industry 4.0 will face traditional cybersecurity issues along with its very own unique security and privacy challenges. If these challenges are not appropriately addressed, the true potential of Industry 4.0 may never be achieved. This chapter provides a brief overview of several key Industry 4.0 technologies and paradigms in order to give the reader a better understanding of the cybersecurity aspects of the remaining chapters in the book.