Microsoft Announces $5 Billion Investment for Their IoT Offerings

Microsoft is taking a deep plunge into the IoT market with a $5 billion investment. This comes shortly after Microsoft announced that it would no longer have Windows as a priority. IoT devices can become an invaluable resource for any enterprise with the right investment and dedication. Part of the investment will be going towards Azure’s IoT Hub. Microsoft announced an additional “basic tier” to this service to allow companies to get started with IoT.

Microsoft Azure’s CVP, Julia White, made the announcement via Microsoft’s blog. She states, “Our goal is to give every customer the ability to transform their businesses, and the world at large, with connected solutions.”

As revolutionary as IoT is, these endpoints tend to be lackluster in their security. Microsoft wants to dedicate some of this spending to IoT security. If the security problem is eliminated, then there’s almost no reason to avoid IoT implementation for most enterprises.

Plenty of businesses already have IoT, but they need more sophistication. Microsoft recognizes this field can continue to grow. The money will go to the existing platforms that Microsoft has in place. This includes the Azure IoT Hub.

Microsoft’s announcement regarding the “basic tier” for their Azure IoT Hub revolved around getting businesses started. They want businesses to feel comfortable entering the IoT space slowly, without taking a deep financial plunge. The tier is meant to give companies the chance to see what they can do with IoT.

In a blog post about Azure IoT Hub, Microsoft states, “The basic tier is a very inexpensive way to start your IoT journey, and despite the name, there is nothing basic about it. It supports inbound telemetry scenarios and has all the same security, scale, performance, and reliability of the existing Azure IoT Hub standard tier. “

We encourage you to read both posts here: Azure IoT Hub / Microsoft IoT Investment