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There is a great deal of discussion and articles out there around the Industrial Internet of Things(IIoT) and its promises: Smart connected technology is radically revolutionizing the industrial landscape at an unprecedented pace, and the fact that a fully smart plant will be achievable in our lifetime makes it even more exciting! Think about it: There is more computing power and communication capabilities in your smart mobile device than in the capsule which successfully landed men on the moon 47 years ago (was Moore’s Law too conservative?).

Simply put, technology is allowing people to realize what were previously only far-fetched ideas or dreams.

But we can’t achieve this with technology alone.

Technology is only an enabler to accomplish something more easily, effectively, or efficiently ^1.   No matter how great the technology, its adoption – and success rate – will ultimately be determined by people (i.e. users): Remember renting a video at Blockbuster while using your Motorola mobile phone, then walking home listening to your shiny yellow Walkman? All examples of the latest technologies at the time…

People make the difference. Every time.

Sending email…Where do I put the stamp?

This is just as true when it comes to technology: put a Ferrari in the hands of a guy who only knows how to drive a lawn mower and chances are that he will end up in a ditch; Give a complete toolbox to someone who only knows how to use a hammer and chances are that they won’t touch anything but the hammer.

Although these examples are simplistic, they illustrate how adding more technology does not necessarily lead to better output. To achi...