Microsoft was originated to sell BASIC Interpreters for the Altair 8000. Now, it has risen and dominates the personal computer OS market by DOS and lately Windows. The company was long known for authorizing Windows and other software programs. And lately, it has expanded in its services from the common software to the cloud market.
Microsoft began its cloud services with the Azure programme in 2010 and was reinforced in the field by its present CEO – Satya Nadella. The quarterly report of August revealed Microsoft as the second cloud servicing company after Amazon Web Services (AWS).
According to Microsoft, its cloud services is a way to help its business customers move towards better business activity, better profits and better experiences. The cloud with its power has helped business organizations fundamentally change their strategy and operations, to bring in advantages more suited to it.
With Internet of Things (IoT) being the aim of future, Microsoft can easily lead the domain of cloud computing services. We already have a binge of its power with Office 365 and Azure PaaS services. Today, AWS, Microsoft’s Azure and Google Cloud offer more or less the same services. Both Azure and AWS have similar approaches to IoT for developing end-to-end solutions.
With the Azure IoT Suite, the business will overcome large difficulties with the IoT approach which otherwise may have seem a tedious one. Specially, Microsoft’s IoT solutions confront concerns about the following points:
- Time and Cost to set-up: Many services of Azure have been launched to simply the commence of IoT procedures. Two of them mostly used are Azure IoT Suite (launched in 2015) and Azure IoT Central (launched in April, 2017). With the former you can start your own IoT. It provides a platform to develop your software and devices according to your desires. With Azure Central, you can access to various software running on various servers. Thus encapsulating the complexities of IoT programmes with a simple front.
- Compatible infrastructure: Making two devices communicate with each other can be a tedious task sometimes. All devices and softwares that Microsoft provide are adapted to communicate with each other as soon as they are set up.
- Expandability: There are a number of cloud services in the market but Azure wins over all of them. Currently, Microsoft boasts of 40 cloud regions globally, more than Google and Amazon. Microsoft is now building billion dollars of worth data centres that the present CEO described as “global, hyperscale cloud”. With these data centres, we can definitely see a big jump in the IoT programmes of Microsoft.
- Security: Both IoT and cloud computing services demands security as a major infrastructure point. And Microsoft Azure ensures maximum security with countless programmes like detecting intruders, multi-factor authentication, and many other testing programmes. Even security audits are available for the Azure IoT customers.
To rise up to the challenge of being a leader in IoT devices and programmes, one needs to answer 4 questions.
- Does the system have an operating system which is continuously updated with the changing technology?
- Is there any method to make the IoT devices more secure and adapting to the new risks?
- Do you have all the tools for securely scanning all the connected and unconnected devices?
- Is there a secure and sturdy management system ensuring all functionality of the programme?
Microsoft answers all the questions with a big yes. The company giant has spread its branches in development, implementing and managing several IoT programmes. As IoT still emerges, we look forward to the day, where Microsoft leads the cloud services.