This chapter served as an introduction to some of the fundamental concepts we will discuss in the book and provides you with some background if you are new to the Industrial Internet. After reading this chapter, you should now understand how the Industrial Internet evolved from the Industrial Revolution and why organizations are investing in IIoT solutions. You should have also gained a better understanding of some of the challenges to prepare for in the deployment of IIoT solutions. This chapter also explained the roles and responsibilities of the various architects and tied this to their professional development paths.

We'll continue our journey in the next chapter by further exploring how various roles will interact and how we can begin to define our Industrial Internet architecture in a way that will ultimately lead to a viable project. You will also learn about different architecture viewpoints and their impact on the design of your overall IIoT solution.