A technical engineer works at an internet data center in a cloud computing hub in Guiyang, Guizhou province,?Dec 14, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Ensuring cyber security should be a high priority as China steps up efforts to promote the development of the industrial internet, experts said.

Qi Xiangdong, president of Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd, China's biggest internet security company, said compared with consumer internet applications such as e-commerce, the industrial internet is far more complex and more vulnerable to sophisticated cyber attacks.

"Once the industrial internet is attacked by 'bad guys', it not only compromises personal information, it also harms the whole enterprise," Qi said.

The industrial internet is a network that combines advanced machines with internet-connected sensors and big-data analytics. It is designed to boost productivity, efficiency, and reliability of industrial production.

Qihoo 360 has unveiled an online platform to warn enterprises of cyber attacks. So far, the platform has 82 enterprises on board.

Xu Yingbo, an analyst at Citic Securities Co, forecasts the Chinese industrial internet market will exceed 450 billion yuan ($65.4 billion) by 2020.

The industrial internet is highlighted in the country's Made in China 2025 strategy, which was designed to promote high-end manufacturing.

Liu Duo, head of the government think tank, China's Academy of Information and Communications Technology, said Chinese enterprises vary significantly when it comes to their automation level.

"Some factories are smart and fully automated, while others are at an initial stage," Liu said.

"But all of them need to raise awareness of the cyber security at production lines," she added.