According to a Microsoft blog post, Solair’s technology will be used to upgrade the company’s Azure IoT Suite, a collection of cloud services meant to help companies use the Internet of Things. The Solair team and I look forward to being a part of Microsoft and a very strong Azure IoT team.
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Microsoft has acquired a young internet of things (IoT) company called Solair from Bologna, Italy, which it says will enable its Azure customers to analyse data and derive new intelligence from IoT. It focuses on connecting up business customers, including “manufacturing, retail, food & beverage and transportation”, Microsoft said. “It’s an opportunity that will allow us to bring the power of IoT to new and unique customer scenarios”, said Tom Davis, CEO, Solair. He added the company would provide more specifics at a later time about “how Solair is helping us build the intelligent cloud in the future”.
Ever since brandishing its “Internet of Things” (IoT) vision and ambition past year with Windows 10 IoT, Microsoft has been rather quiet about the market, especially compare to some of its more exciting new ventures. Neither company provided details about the value of the acquisition or how Solair will be integrated into Microsoft’s organization.
Other companies are building their own cloud service for IoT devices, such as Amazon Web Services’ AWS IoT service, and offerings from Oracle and Salesforce. For instance, Microsoft writes, the Rancillo Group is using Solair’s platform to collect data from their leased-out espresso machines and see when they need service or restocking. “It would not have been the first IoT technology firm that MachNation would have considered for acquisition”.
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With today’s announcement, it appears that Solair will now be able to address those concerns backed by the full weight of Microsoft’s support.
