2026-10-23 –, Redbud B
Most security professionals think of an attack surface as a network, a data center, or maybe a factory. What happens when the attack surface is an entire industrial park?
Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to help shape the technology strategy for a next-generation industrial campus that's bringing together AI, digital twins, smart infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, energy, industrial networking, and operational technology. It quickly became clear that this wasn't just another Industry 4.0 project—it was the convergence of physical infrastructure and cybersecurity at a scale I hadn't experienced before.
This talk walks through the architectural decisions, integration challenges, and security considerations involved in building an intelligent industrial ecosystem. We'll explore how technologies like digital twins, AI, industrial networking, asset tracking, edge computing, and OT systems can be integrated into a single operational platform without creating a security nightmare.
This isn't a vendor presentation or a product demo. It's an engineering case study from the trenches about connecting technologies that were never designed to work together and securing them before they become tomorrow's critical infrastructure.
Whether you're interested in OT security, AI, infrastructure, networking, or simply where our industry is heading, you'll leave with a different perspective on what "cybersecurity" looks like when the attack surface is measured in acres instead of IP addresses.
Anthony George is the Founder and CEO of George Consulting & Engineering (GCE), where he helps manufacturers, industrial parks, and critical infrastructure organizations engineer intelligent infrastructure through the integration of AI, industrial networking, operational technology (OT), cybersecurity, and Industry 4.0 solutions.
Anthony's career spans more than two decades across military, government, and private industry. He has served as a U.S. Navy Electronic Security Systems Technician, a Cyber Warfare Operator in the Kansas Air National Guard, a Senior Systems Engineer supporting defense programs, and an Industrial Cybersecurity consultant helping manufacturers modernize their operations securely.
He holds the CISSP certification and has led projects involving industrial control systems (ICS), OT/IT convergence, digital twins, Industrial IoT, edge computing, and secure manufacturing environments. His current work focuses on designing vendor-neutral architectures that connect physical infrastructure with intelligent software to create the next generation of industrial operations.
Anthony is also an adjunct instructor, conference speaker, and passionate advocate for making advanced manufacturing and critical infrastructure more connected, resilient, and secure.