Microsoft announced plans to invest USD 5 billion in expanding its IoT services in the next four years. The company also presented a new pricing structure for its Azure IoT Hub cloud services.
The company said it's starting to see IoT take-up accelerate and grow at the exponential rates forecast in recent years. Microsoft’s IoT offerings range from operating systems for devices, cloud services to control and secure them, advanced analytics to gain insights, and business applications to enable intelligent action. Customers include the companies Steelcase, Kohler, Chevron, United Technologies and Johnson Controls.
The announcement comes with a refresh of the pricing structure on Azure IoT Hub. Microsoft is introducing a new 'basic tier', for customers starting out with IoT or who only need device-to-cloud telemetry. The new 'standard' tier of service, with cloud-to-device messaging and full device management capabilities, will be reduced in price by 50 percent compared to previous rates. New prices apply automatically for existing customers.
