The decrease in cost of IoT sensors, increase in mobile devices, scale of cloud-based platforms, advances in machine learning, analytics and artificial intelligence, show how much IT industry is getting transformed these days. These trends will enable almost every industry to adopt and use IoT solutions in the coming years, to empower employees, engage customers, optimize operations, and transform products.
At the Microsoft’s IoT Expo running concurrently in conjunction with World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) in Taipei, Taiwan, Microsoft discussed how organizations are leveraging new capabilities for changing their business with IoT and announced the new Microsoft resources to help partners and customers realize their vision for the network edge.
Jason Zander, VPC, Microsoft Azure, announced testing labs and federated labs, to boost the industrial IoT. The testing lab will enable devices and solution partners in Asia for the Open Platform Communication – United Architecture (OPC-UA) gateway protocol, which is based on the framework of Azure IoT intelligent edge.
OPC UA, a nonproprietary protocol, enables devices to easily share data securely for IoT Hub-assisted communication, and allows companies to develop new IoT solutions with firewall closed, so that production doesn’t stop.
Another announcement by Zander includes the ‘Federated Lab’ model for Microsoft labs that will help in building up strategic alliances and bring together engineering resources to develop vertical IoT solutions. The business organizations connected with this lab will be able to connect with allied parties through IoT innovation Center at Microsoft. It will help them strengthen their IoT service value-chain and broaden global outreach.
The companies can also attain technical readiness training for Microsoft IoT, including Azure IoT Services, Data Analytics platform, PCS, and Cognitive Services.
Microsoft is deepening their investment in industrial IoT in Asia, including Taiwan, to accelerate the digital transformation in global market. To enable hardware with cloud connectivity and AI capability, the Industry 4.0 plan has been made part of the Taiwan’s “5+2 Major innovative Industries policy”. It will help revitalizing Taiwan’s economy.
“Government programs, such as the ‘Asia Silicon Valley Development Plan’ and ‘Forward-Looking Infrastructure Plan,’ advocate developments and transformation in the technology service industry in Taiwan. We’re pleased to partner with Microsoft to setup the IoT Innovation Center in Taiwan as Asia hub to foster close collaboration with local and global partners by speeding up IoT solutions and deployment across different industries,” said Minister of Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Jong-chin Shen.
Also read: Huawei and Microsoft collaborate on cloud services to help enterprises drive digital transformation
The enterprises in Taiwan are looking to implement Industry 4.0 standards. A lot of IoT enterprises are joining the IoT Expo 2017 from industries, like Smart Manufacturing section, Smart City & Smart Retail, Smart Home & Smart Medical, to undertake enterprise digital transformation using IoT technologies.
