Microsoft's Azure heads to IoT space

Microsoft has committed to the Internet of Things (IoT), explaining how it will integrate Azure with emerging technologies.

The Azure IoT Suite builds on the Azure Intelligent Systems Service, which was created to connect, manage and capture machine-generated data from sensors and devices.

This evolution goes one step further, ensuring devices can connect to the sensors and the data can be processed, managed and presented in a way that is understandable to those that need to use it.

Takeshi Numoto, corporate vice president of cloud and enterprise marketing at Microsoft, said in a blog post: "More and more, we’re seeing the Internet of Things (IoT) become part of the fabric of business, helping converge an organization’s assets, data and processes with people and business systems.

"Today, this intersection is allowing enterprises to uncover new opportunities, create new business models and transform their operations – from elevators, to particle accelerators and washing machines – to become truly digital businesses."

The Azure IoT Suite can be scaled according to the size of an organisation and will speed up processes to get applications to market, including remote monitoring, asset management and predictive maintenance.

Microsoft's full foray into the IoT marketplace will released as a preview later this year and wil be priced transparently to allow businesses to budget for their IoT growth.

"Microsoft’s vision is to help companies thrive in this era of IoT, delivering open, scalable platforms and services that any company, whether startup or the most established global enterprises, can use to create new value, right now," Numoto said.