Summary

In this chapter, we have analyzed the origin of the IoT and looked at how it came about through a combined set of technologies. We then learned about the key technologies that underlie the IoT, by going into its use cases and business models. We defined the IoT as a technological layer that creates a digital twin of a physical object in the cloud, making the object more intelligent due to the interaction of its digital twin with other digital images living in the cloud. We also identified four levels to define the smartness of a product or object.

We then looked at how the IoT can be applied to the industrial world, thereby beginning the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Industry 4.0. We looked at the key transformation elements that mark out the I-IoT. We also highlighted some of the main use cases of the I-IoT and the main differences between the IoT and the I-IoT. We then listed and understood the different types of analytics that apply to industrial data. Finally, we clarified and defined the industrial scenarios that will be covered in the rest of the book.

In the following chapter, we are going to look at how a factory is structured and organized from an OT perspective. We will consider who produces, processes, and enriches the data. We will also explore some key concepts, including deterministic, real-time, closed loop, sensor, fieldbus, PLCs, CNC, RTU, SCADA, HISTORIANS, MES, and ERP.