Chapter 1: Introduction to the IoT – The Big Picture
In this chapter, we will start our journey of exploring the Internet of Things, or IoT, by introducing a number of topics, such as the purpose of any technology and the purpose of IoT technologies. We will then cover the three common questions (what, why, and how?) asked in relation to any technology, including IoT technology. We will cover what the IoT is, why the IoT matters, the impact of the IoT on different industries and segments, and finally, how IoT technology works. In other words, we will explain the IoT production-grade solution reference architecture and its solution building blocks.
The chapter will also cover some of the IoT solution design patterns commonly used in any IoT solution and will show a case study of a business problem and how IoT technologies can solve that business problem and deliver the desired business benefits and outcomes.
In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:
- The purpose of any technology (including IoT technology)
- IoT definition – the what
- IoT impact and benefits in different industries – the why
- IoT solution reference and architecture – the how
- IoT solution design patterns
- A case study
- The book's strategy
