At the Hannover Messe event, software developer Microsoft Corporation MSFT discussed three recent collaborations related to its cloud service, Microsoft Azure.
Microsoft announced that it has entered into partnership deals with Fujitsu Limited, a Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company; KUKA AG, a manufacturer of industrial robots and automation solutions and Miele & Cie. KG, a manufacturer of high-end household appliances and commercial tools.
The Fujitsu Collaboration
The partnership is intended to power Fujitsu devices with the Windows 8.1 Pro to achieve operational distinction. In addition, the collaboration will integrate the Internet of Things (IoT) services of FUJITSU Cloud A5 for Microsoft Azure, and promote the Fujitsu IoT/M2M (machine-to-machine) platform.
Leveraging Fujitsu’s Eco-Management Dashboard, the IoT/M2M platform along with Microsoft cloud services and Windows tablets will enable the companies to produce a comprehensive solution. This will optimize process efficiency of both machines and humans. This can help managers, engineers and scientists to enhance product quality, boost equipment performance and improve functionality while streamlining energy costs.
This solution can be replicated by other manufacturers and will enable companies to handle and consume data in the correct forms, thereby increasing efficiency and saving time and money at the same time.
Partnering with KUKA
The companies are collaborating to manufacture a robot incorporating KUKA's Intelligent Industrial Work Assistant (KUKA LBR iiwa), which is built with Microsoft Azure IoT services. The coming together of KUKA LBR iiwa, Microsoft Azure IoT services, Kinect hardware, and the OPC-UA communication standard will produce the world’s first combination of IT and robotic technologies and create a smart manufacturing solution with new capabilities.
The lightweight robot can sense its way about a complex chore and carry out exact automation movements securely with the use of precise movements and perceptive technology. This special feature also allows KUKA LBR iiwa for human-robot teamwork.
Miele & Cie. KG Alliance
The alliance will lead to a product based on Microsoft Azure IoT services in a bid to usher in smart appliances and home cooking. The technology will help users to set their ovens to guarantee that their meals will come out completely cooked, thereby offering an outstanding customer experience.
The partnership will give users access to recipes on Miele's website and pick from different meals. Following the selection of a recipe, the required food preparation steps are downloaded to the user's smartphone or tablet and the corresponding program is loaded onto the oven via Azure. The oven is then programmed to cook the specific meal using the appropriate operating method, temperature, cooking time, humidity and other factors, removing guesswork and ensuring great outcomes.
To Conclude
Microsoft is leaving no stone unturned and is moving ahead with CEO Nadella’s cloud-first mobile-first strategy. Competition in the cloud computing market is intense, particularly since it includes players like Amazon AMZN, which is strongly entrenched and Google GOOGL, which is a challenger determined to build a position.
The public cloud computing market, according to IDC, is expected to grow to more than $128.0 billion in 2018 representing a five-year compound annual growth rate of 22.8%. We believe that the latest efforts will help Microsoft as it pursues opportunities in the ever-growing cloud computing segment.
Microsoft has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked stock in the same space is LivePerson Inc. LPSN, which sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
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