One of the defining features of Industry 4.0 is distributed sensing. This latest iteration of industrial automation sees a dramatic increase in the sensor nodes used to monitor equipment and processes, all linked up to gateway devices in a complex industrial internet of things (IIoT).
These sensors are helping to improve the performance and reliability of industrial processes and ensure higher availability. Increased efficiency is a key motivator of this move to Industry 4.0, with reliable 24/7 operation and plants around the world all monitored from a single location. But this also requires more focus on the security of the network to ensure safe operation.