The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming how businesses gather and use data to develop competitive insights and create new financial opportunities. As IoT technology matures and our partners gain more experience, they are evolving their business models to increase the overall return on investment of their IoT solutions. This includes adding recurring revenue, enhancing security, and reducing support costs.
At Computex a few weeks back, we announced Windows 10 IoT Core Services, which enables our IoT partners to commercialize their solutions running on Windows 10 IoT Core. We are now excited to announce the public preview of this service along with details on purchasing and pricing. As described in our previous blog, IoT Core Services provides 10 years of operating system support along with services to manage device updates and assess device health.
Windows 10 IoT Core Services helps our partners monetize their solutions by creating a business model that provides ongoing long-term value. IoT devices are often in service for many years, so device support costs are important considerations that are either included in the initial purchase cost or often paid over time through a service contract. Windows 10 IoT Core Services provides our partners with the ability to distribute maintenance costs over the life of the device while also giving them tools to streamline and reduce maintenance overhead. This service can be purchased up front with a device or through a recurring subscription and provides 10 years of operating system support, including updates for security and reliability.
Device Update Center is part of the Windows Hardware Device Center and is used to create, control, and distribute device updates for the OS, custom apps, drivers, and other files. The steps to register a new Windows 10 IoT Core device are described in the Device Update Center User Guide. Entries can be created in Device Update Center for each unique device model as shown below.
Device Update Center
OS updates and custom updates (apps, drivers and files) are delivered through the same content distribution network that is used daily by hundreds of millions of Windows users around the world. Updates can be flighted in three distinct rings – Preview (test devices), Early Adopter (self-host devices) and General Availability (production devices) to have a controlled roll-out process where new changes can be validated with smaller sets of devices before broader deployment.
In addition to long-term support and device update control, Windows 10 IoT Core Services includes rights to commercialize with Device Health Attestation. This cloud-based service evaluates device health and can integrate with a device management system to improve the security of an IoT solution. These features give our partners the foundation to build sustainable business models based on Windows 10 IoT Core.
The Windows 10 IoT Core operating system remains royalty-free. Windows 10 IoT Core Services is a paid offering that can easily be added depending on the scenario.
- Businesses and solution integrators can purchase IoT Core Services through an Azure subscription. The subscription price will be $0.30 per device per month when the product releases later this fall. During the preview period, the price is $0.15 per device per month.
- Partners enrolled in our Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program will be able to resell the service and establish ongoing relationships with their customers. They can sell a flexible, pay-as-you-go subscription as needed to meet device requirements. This option will be available later in the year.
- OEMs can license the service with a device by pre-paying for the service. This option will be available later in the year.
Microsoft is committed to offerings to help our partners provide compelling solutions and achieve their business goals. Along with our recently announced support for NXP silicon platforms, long-term support, and the Windows AI Platform, Windows 10 IoT Core Services is another step in meeting our partners’ needs.
To learn more about developing with Windows 10 IoT, enroll in our Early Adopter Program at [email protected] and to learn more about Windows 10 IoT Services, see the technical details at the Windows IoT Core Dev Center.
Source: Windows Blog
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