The industrial automation domain has traditionally been unsusceptible to innovation or early adoption of high-end and modern technologies. More often than not, businesses in the sector of industrial automation have been comfortable in implementing proven technologies and processes to facilitate safe, reliable, and consistent functioning in the long run. However, in recent times, this norm has started to fluctuate radically with the inception of Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things. The industrial automation domain has been impacted with exponential technology changes, rapid employment of new systems, and amplified networking architectures over the last decade.  

The integration of advanced information, communication, and networking technologies is propelling automation and its applications in manufacturing and industries. This unique blend of innovations has enabled the collaboration of people and machines across functionalities like the factory floor and supply chain. This trend has also had a notable impact on industrial controllers. Today, as digitisation allows manufacturers to use data in a myriad of ways, there is a collective need to utilise scalable control systems that allow a manufacturing process to scale output according to business needs.

Apart from inculcating control platform properties, such as motion control, sequence control, logic control, and programming and human-machine interface (HMI) configurations - manufacturers will also have to focus on blending control system functionalities such as remote access, condition monitoring, remote diagnostics, amongst others. A single integrated control platform will allow companies to increase efficiency and productivity while also achieving plant-wide process optimisation and better user experience. The progression of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) will be vital in driving the industry’s evolution into a new age. With better programming flexibility and convenience, reach, memory, reduced form factor, high-speed () Ethernet, and embedded wireless functionalities, future PLCs will also permit technology improvements in software, communications and hardware as well. 

HMIs along with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems will require minimum physical servers in the near future itself. Virtualized control functions will soon be embedded into one singular platform rather than trying to use each function as a distinct application. The dynamism of an open, software-based control architecture enables companies to amplify control processes, optimise and then subsequently expedite the deployment of new functions.