Microsoft Azure is about to get another big boost this week. The company has just announced an expansion of its Azure cloud services, adding a new cloud-based enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to the mix.

The Redmond-based software company that it planning a new software as a service (SaaS) offering that will help companies simplify their IoT (Internet of Things) implementations without having to build the entire IoT technology within their Azure cloud environment. The Microsoft IoT Central, which will be made available in the coming months, will help streamline the process of building and managing IoT deployments for Microsoft Azure customers and technology partners, the Geekwire reported.

In a more recent company's blog post, Azure IoT director Sam George said that the newly introduced Microsoft IoT Central is a fully managed SaaS offerings for Azure customers and Microsoft's technology partners that enable powerful IoT scenarios without requiring any technical expertise. Gorge also added that the new offering has been designed to simplify the development process, enabling customer and partners to start on their IoT deployment.

Additionally, Microsoft also announced two new data analytics tools, called Microsoft Azure Time Series Insights and Microsoft Azure Stream Analytics. Azure Time Series Insights is basically a managed service that allows companies and organizations to analyze the billions of events generated by an IoT system and perform root-cause analysis and find anomalies in near real time.

The Azure Stream Analytics on Edge Devices is a cloud feature that will help companies and organizations get better data from connected devices (IoT-enabled devices) out of the edge of a network where cloud connectivity is limited or unpredictable. Both new features are available as a preview.

In addition to the Microsoft IoT Central, Microsoft is also preparing a big event, where the software company plans to debut the Azure IoT Suite: Connected Factory. That big event will take place at the Hannover Messe in Germany.

According to Microsoft, Azure IoT Suite: Connected Factory is a preconfigured solution that connects industrial equipment to Microsoft Azure cloud platform. This new preconfigured solution will enable businesses to browse and configure equipment and gather insights into the operational efficiency of their industrial facilities.

In another Microsoft Azure-related news, the company's Azure cloud service is now in good position to close the gap with the market leader Amazon web Services (AWS), as companies call for more business alignment and cloud features. A recently conducted survey, which also shows Microsoft Azure closing the gap with AWS, shows that cloud service providers need to step up their cloud strategy when it comes to aligning IT and business requirements for their cloud customers, the Channel Life reported.

AWS is still reputed to be the current cloud leader with 26 percent of the IaaS and PaaS market compared to Microsoft Azure's 12 percent market share. However, the market research shows that Azure is rapidly closing the gap with AWS, making a hyperscale cloud growth in triple figures.

Another cloud-related survey from Cowen & Co. shows the real story behind the cloud battle between AWS and Azure. When respondents have been asked about which public/hybrid cloud provider they preferred to use in the next 12 to 18 months, the survey showed that around 71 percent of the respondents picked Microsoft Azure, while AWS get only 24 percent of the respondents.

The survey clearly shows Microsoft Azure's growing popularity in today's business world. Microsoft's strength in enterprise IT along with strong cloud computing commitment, global reach, and the world-class customer makes Microsoft Azure the top choice for today's corporate business.

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Tags Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Azure, AWS, Cloud, Cloud Computing, Cloud Services, Applications