Scalability: An OT professional can make one machine smart. But connecting 500 machines across 5 different countries requires the network infrastructure and cloud expertise of IT. This theme focuses on the platforms, networks and connectivity technologies needed to collect, process and transfer data quickly and efficiently back to the machine.

Data contextualization: IIoT only works when data from machines (OT) is correctly interpreted by algorithms (IT). This requires IT professionals and engineers to work together to determine which data is relevant, how it should be analyzed, which algorithms, models and LLMs will run on this data, and how insights are ultimately translated into valuable KPIs such as uptime, OEE and ROI.

OT systems are often outdated (legacy) and were never designed to be connected to the internet. If OT implements an IIoT gateway without IT support, the factory becomes vulnerable to cyber threats. IT must provide the security framework, while OT must define which processes can never be interrupted by security measures.