So what have 50 of the best IoT practitioners learned in this burgeoning space? At the second annual IoT Slam ’16, which kicks off today at 9am PST, our own Sam George, Director of Azure IoT, will deliver a keynote presentation on IoT – from the art of the possible to the very practical today at 1:20pm PT/4:20pm ET. Sam will dive into what is possible in IoT using large and mid-size customer examples as well as the very practical steps companies can take to use IoT to scale, grow and transform their business.

For a great panel on IoT in the Enterprise. Success factors from the viewpoint of the enterprise, we also invite you to join our session with Peter Cooper, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft, along with speakers from Hewlett Packard Enterprise and CCS, for a highly informative conversation about what goes into developing a successful IoT enterprise solution. Panelists will address a range of questions, from how are customers adopting IT to what key issues they encounter.

You can find more session details here. For the full range of online sessions, check out the conference agenda and speaker lineup at the IoT Slam ’16 webpage, get registered, and log on to attend or watch the recorded streams. And if you miss the discussion, the recording is available on-demand for the next 90 days.

To find out more about how Microsoft IoT can help transform your business, visit www.InternetofYourThings.com.

Today, Cummins’ experts in the field can do the same job from the comfort of their own office, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Microsoft Azure IoT Suite. Cummins worked with Microsoft and a Minneapolis-based solution provider, Avtex, to develop the PowerCommand Cloud™, a remote monitoring solution that connects to millions of Cummins generators around the world, providing greater visibility into how equipment is performing, and enabling refueling and performance maintenance at the exact time to maximize uptime.

The PowerCommand Cloud collects data from generators virtually anywhere, and analyzes it in real time. But PowerCommand Cloud’s reach isn’t limited to Cummins’ generators: It monitors virtually every other component of a backup power supply as well, from the transfer switches to the sensors and any other ancillary equipment.

What’s more, the solution automatically alerts service technicians, business owners and homeowners of any performance issues, and technicians can access performance data through a web-based interface on most any device, enabling them to troubleshoot issues whether remote or onsite. Having access to all this information will help reduce the number of performance issues, and ensure that any that do arise are resolved that much quicker.

“In a hospital, just a few minutes without power could make a difference in the ability to save someone’s life,” notes Henrique Cubarenco, Product Manager at Cummins Power Generation. “We wanted a cloud-based remote monitoring system that could gain us real-time access to our customers’ equipment so we could resolve problems even faster.”

In minimizing the downtime for its customers, Cummins also simplified operations for home owners and provided a more convenient solution for customers and dealers to manage their generators and power systems.

With the power of Azure IoT Suite behind it, PowerCommand Cloud is capturing data that could ultimately lead to more durable, efficient and reliable generators. Knowing that should help each of Cummins’ service technicians sleep a little better at night, wherever they lay their head.

To find out more about how Microsoft IoT can help transform your business, visit www.InternetofYourThings.com.

This builds on Microsoft’s expanded OPC UA support for open-source OPC UA modules in the Azure IoT Gateway SDK, as well as open-source support for OPC Classic protocols. The OPC UA adapter for OPC Classic deployments, which many industrial assets currently run on, is a readily available open-source module from the OPC Foundation on GitHub and will be integrated into Microsoft’s .NET Standard reference stack. This will enable easier connection of older OPC devices to Azure IoT Suite.

At SPS IPC Drives, Microsoft partners will showcase how they are driving momentum with the Microsoft Azure platform, including:

Beckhoff: This demo includes a wall with Beckhoff devices running the Azure IoT Gateway SDK and OPC UA modules, showcasing command and control from the cloud as well as telemetry data sent through the gateway to the cloud.

Iconics: This HoloLens demo shows a mixed reality-assisted installation scenario of an industrial device in a factory. The HoloLens connects to the installed device via OPC UA and receives diagnostic info from the device – for example, to check if the installation was successful.

Leuze Electronic: This demo features a barcode scanner connecting to Azure IoT Hub with open-source software components and sending telemetry data as well as command and control from Azure IoT Hub back to the device. This unique scenario features the barcode scanner running a bear-metal OS, which was easily connected to both telemetry and command and control through the Microsoft’s open-source components.

OPC Foundation/Hewlett Packard Enterprise: This demo will bring together a device wall filled with OPC UA servers that are connected using an industrial gateway from Hewlett Packard Enterprise running the Azure IoT Gateway SDK and OPC UA, showcasing command and control from the cloud as well as telemetry data sent through the gateway to the cloud.

Softing: This demo showcases how Softing’s dataFEED OPC Suite integrates data from industrial automation networks into the Microsoft Azure IoT Hub. Softing’s dataFEED OPC Suite feeds data from industrial automation networks into such solutions and supports data sources such as PLCs and OPC Classic servers.

Enhancements to the Azure IoT Gateway SDK and Azure IoT Hub device management in general availability

• With general availability of the Azure IoT Gateway SDK, we’re giving customers even more flexibility in how they design and deploy IoT solutions, from the datacenter to the very edge of the network. The Azure IoT Gateway SDK allows data to be processed close to the devices that create it, only sending truly necessary pieces to the cloud for further processing.
• Enhancements to Azure IoT Hub device management capabilities in general availability enable IoT developers, administrators and operators to organize, monitor, query, configure and update software and firmware configurations across billions of geographically dispersed and cross-platform devices.

Introducing the Azure IoT Hub IP filter

• As IoT devices proliferate, security and privacy are top concerns. The Azure IoT Hub IP filter, introduced today, enables customers to configure IP filtering rules for their IoT Hub. You can instruct IoT Hub to only accept connections from certain IP addresses, reject certain IP addresses or a combination of both.

These new Azure IoT features help enterprises utilize their IoT solutions more effectively and securely, from the cloud to the network’s edge.

For more information about how Microsoft IoT can transform your business, visit www.InternetofYourThings.com

On Oct. 16, a cyberattack that caused massive outages was linked to the use of hacked IoT devices such as DVRs and closed-circuit TV cameras. In light of this worldwide attack, many organizations are interested in taking a closer look at how cloud-connected devices could impact the security of their networks.

If you’re looking to become more knowledgeable on the topic, in addition to our post about our new Security Program for Azure IoT, we’re also rebroadcasting our popular webinar, Are my robots going to attack me? Tips for a secure IoT strategy. (Spoiler alert: They’re not.)

In this webinar, Microsoft IoT security experts Colin Masson and Leandro Do Carmo Iwase walk you through the most important strategies for ensuring your IoT devices are securely connected to your network. You’ll learn how to:

• Bolster your security through safe IoT and cloud practices.
• Recognize weak links in your IoT operations.
• Address IoT security issues at multiple levels: devices, connections and the cloud.
• Adopt ongoing best practices for recognizing and overcoming IoT security threats.

We look forward to you joining us for the rebroadcast of this timely webinar. Register now.

Don’t let fear hold you back from the IoT technology revolution, which is predicted to generate $2.3 trillion in new economic value by 2025. Instead, get out in front with a strong line of defense. We’ll show you how comprehensive security solutions make Microsoft Azure a trusted cloud for IoT that is helping customers scale, grow and transform their businesses.

IoT is here to stay, and Microsoft is working on multiple levels to keep your IoT solutions secure. In addition to providing enterprise-grade IoT security in Azure and across connected devices with the Windows 10 IoT Core secure IoT operating system, we’re also engaging with standards bodies and industry partners to establish IoT protocols and best-practices for security auditing. And with the new Security Program for Azure IoT, we’ll pair you with best-in-class security auditors who’ll examine your IoT solutions from the ground up to ensure your IoT deployments are as secure as possible, across devices, connections and the cloud.

For more information about how Microsoft IoT can transform your business, visit www.InternetofYourThings.com.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has tremendous potential to change the game for Consumer Package Good (CPG) organizations. As the price of sensors and RFID technology has come down, more and more businesses have installed them in coolers, vending machines, shelves, and more to monitor conditions and the customer experience. With IoT, CPGs have unprecedented access to data and insights that reduce costs, improve productivity, and increase revenue.

Andres Jejen

To learn more about how IoT is changing retail execution and what CPGs should think about when considering how to implement IoT, I spoke to Andres Jejen, Global Product Director for Retail Execution at AFS Technologies.

What does IoT mean for CPGs and how is it impacting them?

Andres: IoT is changing the way CPGs manage stock and keep their business running efficiently. Right now, we’re seeing two areas of IoT applications focused around inventory and asset management. One of the main ones is connected vending machines. Using IoT, vending machines report back data such as inventory, needs for replenishment, or current amounts of cash on an automated basis. This is extremely beneficial for manufacturers that directly manage their own machines.

The second big development is related to smart shelves and smart coolers. Coolers give you an automated view of products present and relay back conditions such as temperature and maintenance needs. Smart shelves go further than just product monitoring by combining availability with customer perceptions to identify how the consumer is reacting to the price and positioning of specific products.

How is IoT impacting retail execution programs specifically?

Andres: It’s always about increasing revenue. When products aren’t displayed correctly, businesses quickly lose sales. IoT enables automatic and immediate notifications about shelf conditions so it’s easier and faster for suppliers to replenish coolers, fix shelves, or attend to machines. If the shelf is smart enough to report conditions, this reduces the personnel required to maintain assets in the field. Without the need to physically go check, CPGs can dispatch the right products with the right resources and eliminate wasted trips.

In addition, any empty shelf space is more than just a lost revenue opportunity – it is an opportunity for competitors. Real-time sensor notifications prevent empty spaces in stores that competitors might snap up. To ensure shelf space isn’t available to competitors, it’s important to make sure that products are available at all levels in the store that meet expected demand. For example, it is much more difficult to keep candy on the shelf in October than it is throughout the rest of the year. IoT makes this easy by assessing shelf data and correlating it against average demand of any given product at any time of the year. Collecting this type of information over time doesn’t just help stock levels, it also helps improve product distribution in markets and helps capitalize on area-specific trends.

Can you talk a little about how you’re working with Microsoft to embed IoT capabilities into the AFS solution? What’s new?

Andres: One contribution that Microsoft has brought to the table is their perceptive intelligence. Smart sensors on the shelf can be aligned to specific promotions, and return info back to the system about how customers react to the products and offers, even if they didn’t purchase. This intelligent perception of customer behavior is very much aligned to the future of retail execution.

The industry as a whole is turning to a customer-centric view where the consumer is at the center of everything. It no longer matters if businesses are advertising the right prices or putting them in the right places if their consumers don’t have a good experience while shopping in the store. That’s why we are working with Microsoft – to give our customers the ability to make their retail experience revolve around their customer. This shift, a truly customer-centric approach, is only possible by bringing together aspects of Dynamics 365 and the features of the Cortana Intelligence Suite.

What enables you to see how people react to products in the store if they don’t purchase them?

Andres: Well, that’s interesting. We can track customer reactions by placing sensors at eye-level. These sensors trigger capture video of a customer’s reaction as they pass by the shelf at a certain speed. The videos capture information like if a product is grabbed, whether they checked the price, or if the customer was drawn to something lower down on the wall. We can deliver these insights to our customers using Microsoft’s perceptive intelligence algorithms.

What should organizations consider when they want to add IoT capabilities into their retail execution program?

Andres: When we talk with customers, we encourage them to answer 4 questions:

1. How many man-hours can you save by implementing this IoT technology?
2. What level of investment are you willing to put in?
3. What types of stores are you targeting that investment towards?
4. What are you going to do with the data you capture? That is to say, what is the ultimate goal beyond cost savings?

That fourth question is where Microsoft really comes in to play. AFS leverages Microsoft technologies to interpret data and then use machine learning to find patterns and specific trends. Capturing these data points and converting them into something measurable is a titanic effort – way more than something our customers can just sit down and do in an Excel file.

Companies need to be very aware of what they want to measure, what they want to do with their data, and especially what they want to achieve. Businesses can simply say “sell more,” but how are they going to do it? Is the goal to achieve larger shelf space? Is it to change packaging? Is it adding new flavors? You cannot grow the business by just saving or selling more, you need to do a combination of both.

Are you seeing anything truly innovative from your customers? Or are most companies still in the pilot stages of IoT implementation?

Andres: The IoT space for retail is relatively young. AFS has a handful of companies using IoT technology, most of whom are still using IoT to optimize their current business processes. I’ve seen a lot of retailers running pilots with sensors in their stores to try and understand what products will give them the best revenue but this is just a start. Manufacturers also stand benefit from this store level data so it not just the responsibility of the retailer – it’s shared. Once business start working together, that’s when we can expect some innovative shifts.

The innovation right now is happening at tier-1 companies, especially in the food and beverage industry. When you’re managing product in millions of locations it’s really easy to see the advantage to having a continuous flow of information going back to the manufacturer. Representatives at these companies can have all the information they need on the health of the coolers the moment they walk into a store and will know how to manage store inventory to be as effective as possible.

Do you expect that in the future it will still be primarily global retail companies driving IoT adoption, or will regional players eventually get on board?

Andres: Once IoT technology becomes even more affordable for even smaller companies, it will be easier to make the case for benefits and ROI. We definitely see regional companies using IoT in the near future. The same thing happened with retail execution software in the past – it was very expensive and painful to implement at first, but eventually when the price became less prohibitive more and more people started adopting it.

That’s a great thing about Microsoft – they work at such a large scale and can keep the costs of the services down especially as products mature. As the ability to participate trickles down to innovative tier-2 companies, they’ll want to follow the tier-1 companies because the benefits are clear.

What’s different about what AFS does for the CPG industry?

Andres: I believe AFS is ahead of the curve in many ways, specifically with regards to the consumer-centric experience. We are shifting our gears and none of our competitors are going this direction – they’re still focused on product merchandising, placement, price, availability, etc. We want to take advantage of all of the benefits the technology provides us with now that we have an alliance with Microsoft. When we show customers the possibilities, they get very excited.

Try it today

We hope this post has given you a glimpse into how CPG companies can lead the way in adopting the IoT technology the need to compete with online retailers. To find out more, try out their retail execution solution on Microsoft’s AppSource today or visit AFS’ website.

For more information on what IoT can do for your business, visit www.InternetofYourThings.com.

Today, the manufacturing landscape has shifted, and servicing now opens the door to better customer outcomes, decreased operational costs and even potential new revenues for manufacturers, as well as an opportunity to differentiate from competitors. As formerly offline tools become connected, and service moves from reactive to predictive, we see the manufacturing sector is moving towards services as a core business model. According to a study of field service organizations by the Aberdeen Group, 26 percent of respondents have been able to generate new service-driven revenue streams¹.

Moving from standalone products to services creates a win-win situation for manufacturing organizations and their customers: Organizations can rely on recurring revenue and customers benefit from greater reliability and lower risk. This evolution is known as servitization, which covers the bundling of goods, services, support and knowledge². Let’s take a look at how the shift from being “product-based” to “service-based” is enabling a range of benefits.

Continuous interaction for better customer relationships

In the past, once an product was sold, customers wouldn’t hear from companies except when it was time for an upgrade or replacement². Now, thanks to technologies like the cloud, and rapid, scalable and cost effective deployment of remote monitoring solutions, products can be constantly connected to advanced analytics and rich dashboards, giving the manufacturer ongoing visibility into performance.

This rise in connected devices is what enables ongoing interaction between customers, assets and service organizations. That same study by Aberdeen found that 54 percent of respondents credit the IoT with enabling the creation of new offerings¹. By tapping into real-time data from products in the field, manufacturers are better equipped to preemptively service equipment before failures occur. Better yet, monitoring product performance enables manufacturers to improve future products and services based on changing customer needs³. As manufacturers continually improve products and services to maximize performance and productivity, customers stand to reap the benefits of this customer-manufacturer dynamic.

Manufacturers leading the way with innovative services

Many forward-thinking companies are already using IoT, the cloud and advanced analytics to identify and create new service lines. The more they are able to create this contrast between themselves and their competitors, the more of the market they will capture. Consequently, companies that do not leverage technologies like remote monitoring, the cloud or IoT are more likely to fall behind as customers have no shortage of choices. Any manufacturer offering services that more closely align to customers’ overall business goals makes for an easy choice.

Microsoft has a number of customers already seeing transformational results, such as:

Disrupting the industry with connected aircraft services

Rolls-Royce is an industry leader in the airlines market, credited for its innovative engines-as-a-service model first introduced in the mid-1990s. Rolls-Royce offers a broad range of service solutions, including its industry-leading TotalCare^® services, focused on keeping its customers’ engines generating maximum value for them. TotalCare, allows airlines to pay for the time they were able to fly their planes rather than for repairs. Under TotalCare, Rolls-Royce assumes the risk and responsibility for engine maintenance, providing engine health monitoring, overhauls and other service options. Rolls-Royce and Microsoft are now taking TotalCare digital, by collecting and aggregrating data on engine health, fuel usage and other data points using Azure IoT Suite, and uncovering new insights using Cortana Intelligence Suite. This will enable Rolls-Royce to proactively provide recommendations on aircraft efficiency and maintenance to their customers—decreasing fuel usage and flight disruptions, and saving millions of dollars per year.

Gaining visibility into remote equipment status

Rockwell Automation, a manufacturer serving the petroleum industry, wanted to gain a better view of their global petroleum supply chain, from harvesting, processing and final product delivery. The lack of insight into the chain made it difficult to help customers see potential issues, address failures proactively, or maintain appropriate levels of products across locations. By collecting sensor data from remote equipment with Azure IoT Suite, Rockwell was able to capture real-time information on equipment performance and health factors such as pressure, temperature and flow rates. They were able to drive better visibility in to possible problems and automate service actions for customers. All of this resulted in a reduction in costly downtime and kept gas deliveries on time to ensure availability at the pump.

Arming field technicians with actionable guidance

Lack of insight and unpredicted elevator failures led to costly downtime for thyssenkrupp Elevator. They wanted to better monitor and service their 1.1 million elevators installed around the globe. By connecting sensors embedded in their elevators to the Microsoft cloud, they were able to create a new service line, MAX, described as “thyssenkrupp’s game-changing service for their elevator business unit that leverages the predictive maintenance capabilities of Azure IoT.” thyssenkrupp plans to further reduce maintenance costs and elevator downtime by arming their 24,000 elevator service technicians with the ability to identify problems and triage a service call ahead of a visit. Initial field trials by thyssenkrupp have shown that a service maintenance intervention can be done up to four times faster than before by using HoloLens. Today, thyssenkrupp offers elevators as a service, adding recurring revenue while keeping people and cities moving, and making their customers happy with reduced maintenance costs.

Get started today

Rolls-Royce, Rockwell Automation and thyssenkrupp all changed their approach to service, and as a result, created new value they could deliver to their customers. The shift to service-based approaches will continue to raise the bar for product differentiation and help companies capture more business against their competitors. Leading manufacturers are joining the growing list of businesses that are engaging customers in an ongoing basis through servitization, and they are benefiting from more contract renewals for increased re venue⁴.

Microsoft is helping manufacturers better serve their customers to help them compete in the new age of servitization. Learn how you can expand your services and enhance customer relationships with Dynamics 365 for Field Service, and our IoT Connected Field Service capabilities.

For more information about how Microsoft IoT can transform your business, visit www.InternetofYourThings.com.

¹ Aston University Research

² Aberdeen, State of Field Service Market

³ Aberdeen, “Evolution of Smart Service”, 2015

⁴ Aberdeen, “Service Revenue: Unearth an untapped stream of dollars”

Wouldn’t it be great if citizens could inform the public works department of a pothole via telepathy? And wouldn’t it be great if you could telepathically  know what your constituents are concerned about without having to call them or have them angrily call you when something is broken? Wouldn’t it be great if citizens could inform the public works department of a pothole via telepathy? And wouldn’t it be great if you could sense what your constituents are concerned about without having to call them or have them angrily call you when something is broken? Until that day comes, the Internet of Things (IoT) can help local agencies change the perception of being distant, inaccessible, and impersonal. I believe IoT offers public organizations an opportunity to transform the way they engage with their citizens, dramatically improving responsiveness, accessibility, and transparency.

Many public agencies around the world have taken charge and leveraged IoT to transform citizen services. From what we’ve seen, it has never been easier for governments to enhance efficiency and gain insights on citizens’ needs faster and more effectively.

Change public perception of government by leveraging technology to streamline citizen engagement

Citizens today expect a different level of visibility and speed from their services – whether it’s a pizza delivery, a ride to the airport, or even a response from city hall about fixing a pothole.

Cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have been creating one-stop citizen portals and mobile apps that enable users to seamlessly pay their parking tickets, respond to polls, apply for licenses, and report broken streetlights. And with IoT, cities like Amsterdam go a step further and enable citizens to be active participants in building better communities.

IoT also offers an opportunity for agencies to save money and increase faith in government by predicting problems before they impact citizens’ lives. A utility in Queensland, Australia uses IoT devices and cloud-based solutions to reduce the amount of time it takes operators to identify and repair expensive water line leaks and blockages by 60%. As a result, they saved $16 million USD ($21 million AUD), prevented 6.5 billion liters of water loss, and increased water availability by 20% – leading to fewer service disruptions and happier citizens.

Improve quality of life with advanced, predictive IoT solutions

In my opinion, one of the most exciting aspects of IoT is the insight it provides to improve service delivery and enhance the quality of life for all citizens. Cities like Chicago are using technology to increase safety, save citizens’ time, and create a healthy environment for even the most vulnerable communities. And we believe IoT is going to change the game for citizen services in ways we can’t yet imagine.

Even small IoT-driven changes can drastically enhance the quality of life for citizens. In San Francisco, the city used GPS technology and a proprietary algorithm to track transit vehicles and predict their arrival time. By considering the actual position of vehicles, their intended stops, and typical traffic patterns, the city gives riders up-to-the-minute information about when their bus or train will arrive. Citizens can track buses via mobile devices and LED signs found at bus stops and transit stations.

And in Los Angeles, the bus stops not only provide real-time bus arrival information, but also free Wi-Fi and USB ports for phone charging. Low-cost improvements transform the citizen experience, turning public transportation into a more desirable option and, as LA Mayor Eric Garcetti put it, “make waiting for the bus an opportunity, not a chore.”

Now is the right time to develop an IoT strategy

Communities don’t need to wait any longer to use IoT to solve problems and create new opportunities for their citizens. Many public leaders are already fostering a culture of innovation and embracing solutions enabled by data and IoT. Through partnership with Microsoft, public agencies are encouraging stronger, smarter and healthier communities that promote opportunity for all. Using IoT along with cloud technology is key to increasing citizen engagement and providing people with the modern, efficient services they want. It streamlines operations, making government workers more successful and taxpayers more confident in their government. And it helps attract new businesses and young, skilled professionals who want to live and work in future-forward urban centers.

Get started today

Microsoft is committed to helping governments provide exceptional services to citizens in a faster and more cost-effective way. We can help your agency promote innovation and connect better with citizens in today’s increasingly digital world. Learn more about how IoT can transform customer service and benefit your citizens in the Microsoft and Smart Cities Council white paper.

Come chat with us and AvePoint, a Microsoft partner helping governments use IoT to dramatically improve service to citizens via their Citizen Services solution, at the Smart Cities Expo. Microsoft and AvePoint will be attending the expo in Barcelona, Spain from November 15^th – 17^th.

For more information about how IoT can transform your city, visit www.InternetofYourThings.com.

As the world becomes increasingly connected, these potential risks are growing fast. Last year researchers discovered critical vulnerabilities in a number of IoT-enabled devices, ranging from baby monitors to cars and smart watches. Some breaches could possibly even be life threatening, such as attacks on IoT medical devices.

Not surprisingly, these threats have many companies weighing the benefits of their IoT implementations with security best practices and standards. To ensure they can get started with IoT quickly and safely, Microsoft announced today its new Security Program for Azure IoT, which will help customers understand, manage and deploy IoT faster and with full confidence that their devices, assets and data are secure. This initiative is in direct response to our customers’ request for additional security assurances to make sure they have assembled their IoT solutions in a secure way from devices, to connectivity, to the cloud.

In a post on the Microsoft Secure Blog, Sam George explains how we’ll work with auditors to evaluate customers’ entire IoT infrastructure from the ground up. After closely examining everything, including devices and assets, gateways and communication to the cloud, we’ll help them develop and implement the most rigorous security models.

Microsoft is working with best-in-class security auditors with multiple areas of expertise. Our initial auditing partners will deliver independently validated security assessments of our customers’ IoT solutions, find issues and provide recommendations. We are also working with standards organizations and consortia, such as the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), to establish industry protocols and best practices for security auditing at multiple levels of the entire IoT ecosystem.

The Security Program for Azure IoT is built on Microsoft’s holistic approach to security for customers with broad investments across platforms for devices, infrastructure, identity, apps and data. Businesses in many industries can benefit, including automotive, smart cities, healthcare, military and more.

For more information about the Security Program for Azure IoT, read the post on the Microsoft Secure blog and visit our Security Auditor partner page. To learn how you can transform your business with IoT, visit www.InternetofYourThings.com.

As enterprises increasingly embrace IoT, Microsoft’s rapid pace of innovation is continuing to accelerate.  We’re all in on IoT, and this week we’re announcing new services and updates that take Microsoft Azure IoT and Windows 10 IoT to the next level. Our ecosystem of partners and customers are also generating fantastic momentum – and transforming their businesses with Microsoft IoT technologies.

Securing the Internet of Things

While IoT has always presented the possibility of unlocking unprecedented insights, for some businesses, concerns about security and privacy are a top concern and remain barriers to adoption. Indeed, by 2020, more than half of all large IoT implementations will require cloud-based security services to operate within acceptable risks, according to analyst firm Gartner.²

Our enterprise customers who have already deployed IoT tell us that the wide range of security features built into both Azure IoT Suite and Windows 10 IoT are one of the top reasons they choose Microsoft. Our ability to ensure devices are tamper proof and can be securely provisioned and connected to each other and to the cloud, ensuring data is protected when it’s created, processed, and stored are core to our commitment to security.

Today, we’re further enhancing our IoT security offerings with the new Security Program for Azure IoT. The program provides our customers with independently validated assessments from expert security auditors who develop, evaluate, and implement the most rigorous security models for the Microsoft Azure IoT Suite. Auditors participating in the program have the expertise to conduct end-to-end security audits, ensuring that each customer’s specific security measures are both sufficient and correctly applied.  You can learn more about this program here.

Cutting-Edge Innovation

In addition to an end-to-end security strategy, Microsoft continues to build the most comprehensive IoT platform on the market. Today we are announcing several enhancements to our cloud and device platforms that are designed to help partners and customers bring their IoT solutions to life quickly and easily.

With the Azure IoT Suite, we are announcing new features that help customers simplify how they monitor and manage their IoT solutions, including:

• New device management capabilities on Azure IoT Hub, which enables IoT administrators to organize, query, configure, and update the software, firmware and configuration between millions of geographically dispersed and cross-platform IoT devices. Introduced earlier this year, these feature enhancements will be available in November.
• New message routing capabilities on Azure IoT Hub, which make it simple to route device messages sent to Azure IoT Hub to specific endpoints in your IoT soluti
  on. Message routing for IoT works like the email rules you may use in your office to route messages to different folders, instead of ending up with a cluttered inbox that you have to sort through. The new feature will be available in early winter.
• Enhancements the Azure IoT Gateway (SDK), which allows developers to easily build and deploy gateway intelligence tailored to their specific scenario. Microsoft is continuing its commitment to hybrid cloud and edge-based IoT solutions with the enhancement of our Azure IoT Gateway SDK.  We believe that there is a balance in IoT processing between the ‘edge of the network’ and the cloud, which is why we are a founding member of the OpenFog Consortium. The Azure IoT Gateway SDK is an open source project and will be available to all Azure IoT customers in November.
• Introduction of the Grove IoT Commercial Gateway Kit, a new offering in the family of Azure IoT Starter Kits. Developed in partnership with Intel, the new kit brings together Intel IoT Gateway technology running Wind River Linux and the Azure IoT Gateway SDK for rapid prototyping in commercial gateway scenarios, such as connecting new and legacy devices, performing edge analytics, translating protocols, and filtering data on the gateway before sending data to Azure IoT Hub.
• Launch of the Azure IoT Certified device catalog, which helps customers choose the best partner devices for their IoT solution. Our Microsoft Azure Certified for IoT program now includes over 175 devices from 100 partners, all tested and verified to work with Azure IoT.  The Azure IoT Certified device catalog enables easy searching and filtering for this huge set of devices so customers can quickly find a device that meets their needs.

These investments come in addition to our continued innovation on Windows 10 IoT, a family of products designed for smart, secure, connected devices that bring edge intelligence to IoT solutions. Edge computing is a key component of an IoT solution as it allows data analysis and action closer to the point of impact, and Windows 10 IoT powers the edge devices that bring IoT to life.

With the recent Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Microsoft has added capabilities to Windows 10 IoT Core, the operating system for small footprint, low cost devices — to bring the enterprise-grade security, management, and connectivity our customers expect from Windows to IoT devices. These updates include:

• Support for Windows Update, allowing customers to keep their devices up to date with the latest features and security updates easily using proven Microsoft tools and technologies.
• The ability to use the Windows Store to seamlessly update applications, simplifying application lifecycle management for customers and partners.
• The ability to manage IoT devices like other computing assets using leading management solutions, reducing cost and complexity in infrastructure management.
• Enhanced security between Windows 10 IoT Core devices and the Azure IoT Suite using the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 international standard to enable highly secure cloud apps.

Additionally, we made Windows 10 IoT Core available royalty free both online and through our distribution partners. Partners looking to ship IoT Core devices can go to  windowsforiotdevices.com to get Windows 10 IoT Core and the license to commercialize your device.

Microsoft is committed to investing in technologies that simplify the lifecycle management of IoT and streamline the process of harnessing data for analysis from devices, at the edge, and in the cloud.  In the months ahead, we’ll further enhance integration of the Azure IoT Hub Gateway SDK and Azure IoT Hub device management into our Windows 10 IoT products to provide a more seamless experience for our IoT customers.

Making the Digital Transformation Possible

As Microsoft IoT innovation continues, our growing list of partners is developing and deploying IoT solutions built with Microsoft IoT technologies – helping to obtain actionable insights never before possible.

In addition to our great ecosystem of partners at the show, eBECS, Cognizant, COPA-DATA Group, and Fujitsu will join us on the show floor to showcase powerful IoT solutions for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing sensor information using easy-to-use dashboards that help organizations make intelligent decisions.

These partners join several customers such as Emerson Industrial Automation, who is transforming business efficiency through its innovative IoT solutions. Emerson is integrating Azure IoT Suite and Windows IoT to build a control valve monitoring system that helps processing industries perform predictive analytics on control valves. By monitoring information from sensors attached to control valves, manufacturers ranging from chemical plants to food and beverage companies can detect and diagnose potential failures before they occur, reducing costs while improving productivity.

In the area of natural resource conservation, Stockholm start-up Eniga has created a sensing-as-service platform that building owners are using to measure and control warm water use. The service uses a Low Power Wide Area Network specification LoRaWAN gateway that’s integrated with the Microsoft Azure IoT Hub to connect all the sensors, allowing for the flexible management of millions of devices through Microsoft Azure. Using this service, smart buildings operator Stockrose is reducing water waste in 10,000 apartments across Stockholm by better measuring water consumption and making tenants accountable for the warm water they actually use. The service is expected to save Stockrose property owners 40 million euros within a 10-year period.

In the smart home space, German manufacturer Liebherr is using the Microsoft Azure cloud, Microsoft Cognitive Services and Windows 10 IoT Core to develop a new generation of smart refrigerators that change the shopping and meal planning experience for consumers. The refrigerators combine cameras with object recognition technology to identify and monitor stored groceries. Using a SmartDeviceBox connectivity module, users can dynamically update shopping lists and digitally interact with their refrigerator, creating an innovative grocery management experience.

These are just a few examples of the innovative ways our partners and customers are putting IoT technology to use. We’re excited about this week’s new developments, and look forward to sharing them with partners and customers attending the IoTSWC conference. If you plan to be there, be sure to stop by the Microsoft booth, located in Fira Gran Via Hall 1, Booth 451, and join us for our keynote “Creating the Internet of Your Things” from 9:30 to 10 am CET this Thursday or at one of our six breakout sessions and panels. Recorded sessions will be available for playback here.

For more information on how the power of IoT can transform your organization, visit www.InternetofYourThings.com.

¹IDC Press Release, IDC’s 2016 Global IoT Decision Maker Survey Finds Organizations Moving Past Pilot Projects and Toward Scalable Deployments, September 21, 2016

² Gartner, Predicts 2016: Security for the Internet of Things, 09 December 2015