A recent poll by the Internet of Things (IoT) Institute found that information and operating technology leaders ranked Microsoft as their top IoT vendor of the year, tied with Google. Tripp Braden’s article on this is a great read, and attributes Microsoft’s success to “the people, the technology, and the partners.”
As a long-time Microsoft partner, we here at Tensoft are very familiar with Microsoft’s technology stack and strategy. We’re also very familiar with the IoT world, since many of our customers are semiconductor and sensor companies, as well as subscription and enterprise agreement companies. So Microsoft’s top ranking in this poll makes perfect sense to me, when you consider how IoT works.
IoT solutions combine sensors, networks, hardware, data management, and software to provide solutions. While there is value in all of the individual components the true value to the end customer is the solution.
While most of the published information on IoT focuses on consumer technology and applications – the largest and earliest markets are in the Connected Cities and Industrial Internet area. These are specific markets where the value of investment is clear and measurable.
Returning to Microsoft, they are one of a handful of companies who can be part of a total IoT solution for customers. They have many of the solution pieces available in their internal technology stack and are both an integrator and a leading partner of systems integration companies. To quote Braden’s article: “Many IoT early adopters are looking for the IoT partner to provide both the business expertise and their people to help them deploy this solution across the cloud. IoT Azure provides many of the tools, the platform, and the capabilities these clients need as they begin to implement their IoT initiatives.”
Certainly there will be multiple winners and multiple success stories related to IoT. But Microsoft should clearly be acknowledged both for their leadership in this area, and for the direction CEO Satya Nadella is taking the company.