Today, operations in warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities and other businesses are more wireless than ever before.
People can direct material handling machinery from their desktop, or even their tablet or smart phones. Some machines, such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs) or driverless forklifts — can even perform an increasing number of task autonomously.
Then there’s all the data that is collected, stored and compiled. Rapid advancements in processing speeds and digital storage capabilities now allow businesses to collect a vast amount of “big data” that can be used to learn more about customers wants and needs and even predict their future buying habits and other behavior.
Increased Connectivity, Increased Risk
While all of this adds to productivity and, ultimately, profitability, it also comes with a high amount of risk. All of that wireless data, all of those instructions, even a company’s sensitive customer information — including credit card numbers, home and email addresses, and past purchases — can easily be hacked by someone with even a small amount of computer skills.
That’s why a growing number of material handling companies –and other industries — are now focusing more attention on cyber security. Securing computing resources, networks and applications helps protect businesses, their employees and their customers from being targeted by hackers and other cyber-criminals.
The risk is real. According to a report issued by the consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, the large amount of connected devices make businesses especially prone to cyber attack. And it’s already happened to such high-profile companies as Target, Home Depot and others.
This increased risk exposure is motivating companies to adopt more comprehensive security solutions, including developing various levels of cyber security in order to protect against data breaches and other online attacks.
Criminals, Spies and Terrorists
While some of these attacks on industry come from amateur hackers who are simply seeing how far they can penetrate into a business’s most protected digital assets, others are more malignant. These include such things as corporate espionage, online theft, and even international terrorism.
And the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better, according to the new study. Thanks to the increased connectivity allowed by the “Internet of Things”, once one company is breached, it can open up innumerable attacks on every business and individual that is in any way connected with it.
Cyber Security a Growth Industry
Cyber security solution providers is expected to be a growth industry in the coming decades. These are companies that focus on providing organizations with vulnerability assessments, in addition to traditional security services.
The goal is to identify and nullify threats before they can penetrate a business’s computer network, equipment and communications because once hackers get in, they can cause a lot of damage — much of it irreparable — before anyone even knows they are there.
Future technologies are expected to focus on predictive threat analysis, machine learning, and network and device behavior analysis in ordert to create proactive cyber security solutions.