Introduction

This book regards automation from the perspective of IT and software. It outlines the key elements of various solutions and describes how IT-oriented automation systems can be designed today and in the future. This brief introduction provides an overview of what automation technology entails and which information and skills the book covers. For this purpose, it discusses the following questions: Due to the wide variety of technical solutions, the focus is on understanding the process of creating complex automation and not on providing in-depth knowledge of specific procedures and methods. The reader will learn how complex automation systems can be implemented and which criteria form the basis for design decisions.