Microsoft is betting big that smarter devices can mean better business, and the company has acquired Italian Internet of Things startup Solair to help get it there.
While big data can sound great in the boardroom, it can be challenging to turn into actionable information. Solair built a platform to address that information, focusing on a few key areas such as helping connected devices phone home when they needed maintenance or allowing smart vending machines to recognize and reward their most loyal customers.
Solair also worked hard to take data from the field and bring it back into central engineering offices, helping make sure that products were working as expected after they shipped.
Now Microsoft will be putting that know-how to work directly: In a blog post, Sam George, partner director of Azure IoT at Microsoft, pointed to Solair integrations in everything from factory lines to espresso machines as the kind of work that attracted Microsoft the company.
Today, I’m pleased to announce that Microsoft has acquired Solair, an Italian company that has been delivering innovative Internet of Things (IoT) services to customers across a number of industries, including manufacturing, retail, food & beverage and transportation,he wrote.
The integration of Solair’s technology into the Microsoft Azure IoT Suite will continue to enhance our complete IoT offering for the enterprise."
