Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has become one of
the most talked about industrial business concepts in recent years. However,
Industry 4.0 and the IIoT are often presented at a high level by consultants
who are presenting from a business perspective to executive clients, which
means the underlying technical complexity is irrelevant. Consultants focus
on business models and operational efficiency, which is very attractive, where
financial gains and new business models are readily understandable to their
clients. Unfortunately, these presentations often impress and invigorate executives,
who see the business benefits but fail to reveal to the client the technical
abstraction of the lower-layer complexity that underpin the Industrial Internet.
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