Machine learning operations (MLOps) is quickly becoming a critical component of successful data science project deployment in the enterprise. Yet it’s a relatively new concept, so why has it seemingly skyrocketed into the data science lexicon overnight? The first 5 chapters will delve into what MLOps is at a high level, its challenges, why it’s become essential to a successful data science strategy in the enterprise, and — critically — why it is coming to the forefront now.