Cisco recently unveiled their 2026 State of Wireless Report. While the report expands its coverage beyond the industrial sector, it was not surprising to see manufacturing deliver some interesting results. While the integration of wireless connections carries a number of operational challenges, the report offered some critical insight on security concerns.
Some key takeaways included:
- Manufacturers are prioritizing high-performance connectivity, with 31 percent planning Wi-Fi 7 deployments in the next 12 months—the fastest adoption rate across all industries surveyed.
- 84 percent of manufacturing organizations experienced at least one wireless security incident in the past 12 months. More than a third (36 percent) reported disruptions specifically from compromised IoT or OT devices, with consequences extending to production safety and regulatory compliance.
- The cost of these incidents is significant: 43 percent of manufacturers reported financial losses exceeding $1 million in the past year, with 19 percent absorbing losses between $10 million and $50 million.
- AI and machine learning initiatives are pulling wireless talent away from manufacturing at a rate of 52 percent—the highest of any industry—making it increasingly difficult to maintain the specialized IT/OT expertise required for Industry 4.0.
- Despite these challenges, the ROI is clear. Manufacturing organizations report the highest average positive business impact (78 percent) from wireless investment across all industries, with 73 percent seeing direct positive revenue impacts.
The report shines a light on the competing elements of wireless connectivity in the manufacturing enterprise. While adoption and investment continue to escalate, implementation strategies that account for security are repeatedly dismissed or forgotten.
As is the case with all operational technology advancements, wireless connectivity will play a key role in realizing cost and efficiency gains, but they cannot be obtained at the expense of security. The combination of geopolitical events and the ongoing pursuit of manufacturing by hackers should make these additional concerns a primary focus for IT and OT leaders moving forward.
