Industry 4.0 is the blueprint for the future of IT

When you think about the digital future, you probably think about self-driving cars, disruptors like Uber and Airbnb, and artificial intelligence. What you probably do not think about, however, is factories. Despite their outwardly staid appearance, the industrial and manufacturing industries have been at the forefront of the practical application of technology and automation for decades. This evolution has culminated in what is called Industry 4.0--a vision of the smart factory and the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT). And, I believe, it may be a blueprint for the future of IT across all industries.