The terms Industry 4.0 and hyper-connectivity have become part of our vocabulary. Hyper-connectivity, however, does not only bring benefits, but also criticalities that need to be analysed in order not to generate problems related to security.
INDUSTRY 4.0 E IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things)
The term Industry 4.0 generally refers to the fourth industrial revolution, where interaction between machines, and between machines and humans, are the dominant factors.
To be more specific, Industry 4.0 stems from the integration of three key concepts:
- Internet of Things (IoT): the connection of physical objects to the internet;
- Internet of Services (IoS): service-oriented architecture capable of combining digital service offerings with specific business needs;
- Internet of Energy (IoE): it stems from the concept of smart grid, referring to automation and efficiency of the energy structure for sustainable development.
In other words, through the use of M2M (Machine to Machine) connections, it is now possible to connect several independent devices that in this way are able to communicate on the network, reaching levels of connectivity that were previously unthinkable. The term IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) refers to the application of the Internet of Things to the industrial field, where more stringent parameters are required with regard to security, both in terms of plant operation and protection from possible external threats.
(H2) THE BENEFITS OF INDUSTRY 4.0
The benefits that IIoT can bring to Industry 4.0 are countless. Here are the five most important ones.
- Remote control: IIoT allows the entire production cycle to be controlled remotely, saving time, reducing human error rates and resulting in a higher quality product;
- Smarter decisions: IIoT in Industry 4.0 gives a complete overview of the production process in real time so that action can be taken whenever necessary;
- More efficiency: thanks to the big data that is produced by the interconnected industrial machinery and the control software, it is possible to check the efficiency of the entire production cycle. This control allows intervention in all production phases in order to improve the efficiency of each machine and the entire industrial system;
- Time optimisation: Predictive maintenance makes it possible to optimise time and increase the life of the equipment considerably;
- Increased ROI: saving time, reducing waste, automating work and offering higher quality products and services only increases the return on investment.
INDUSTRY 4.0 AND IIoT APPLICATION AREAS
There are several sectors that can benefit most from industrial IoT: we are talking, for example, about manufacturing, logistics, energy and services.
- Manufacturing: this is the sector in which IoT is most widespread at an industrial level and can be used to monitor the production phase in real time to exploit the full potential of intelligent machinery, to implement efficient analysis software and to automate processes;
- Logistics: In the logistics and connected transport sector, IoT can be used for Smart Logistics, which can help optimise work in warehouses by organising the transport of goods and shipments in the smartest way. Sensors and specially designed software are used to replenish warehouses automatically before stocks run out. Moreover, with the help of other technologies including machine learning, edge computing and artificial intelligence, IIoT in Industry 4.0 will increasingly impact the supply chain;
- Energy and services: with the arrival of 5G connectivity, the telecoms sector will be able to provide businesses and individuals with faster network speeds, as well as a safer, more reliable and more efficient network. All with shorter latency times. This will allow the cybersecurity and mobility sector to provide increasingly sophisticated services. In addition, Smart Home and Smart Building will become more widespread. Scientific research and medicine will also benefit, as many departments are already being digitised. As for the energy sector, thanks to the Industrial Internet of Things, it will be possible to manage and monitor all aspects of production. Just to give a few examples, oil and gas companies will be able to monitor the precise amount of fuel used in order not to risk being penalised, while energy companies will be able to provide better services, thanks to Smart Metering, which will allow them to manage and control energy consumption, and thanks to the Smart Grid, it will be possible to optimise energy distribution.
THE POSSIBLE HAZARDS RELATED TO INDUSTRY 4.0 AND IIoT
The new world of connections of which we are observing the first steps today will be as efficient as it is vulnerable. When we talk about ‘vulnerability’ we are saying that any system, even the most secure, can be attacked and breached. This is why computer security testing will be a constant element accompanying any evolution of 4.0 connectivity and future remote-control applications. In other words, the more the Internet of Things develops, the more it will be necessary to keep it secure.