Microsoft has announced Windows 10 IoT Core Services along with the promise it will be updated for at least the next decade.
The company expects a new release every two to three years. With each one, a further 10 years of support will be guaranteed.
The commitment offers assurance that any ‘Things’ deployed won’t be outdated anytime soon. With large-scale IoT deployments, this is particularly vital to avoid fears of costly replacements and/or downtime.
Microsoft’s existing IoT Core will continue to be free as a semi-annual channel offering. IoT Core Services is a paid solution but represents a long-term servicing channel which is to be combined with various services.
Analysts have wildly different predictions about how many IoT devices will come online
One of the most important services is access to the Device Update Center where an overview of all devices can be seen and updates scheduled for when appropriate. All of the updates will be delivered using the same CDN (Content Delivery Network) as Windows Update.
To improve security, the Device Health Attestation (DHA) service allows the evaluation of the safety of your devices. It can be combined with Azure IoT Device Management to help recommend solutions.
Analysts have wildly different predictions about how many IoT devices will come online in the coming years, but most at least agree it’s going to be a lot. One of the most reliable, Gartner, expects around 20 billion connected devices by 2020 (PDF).
IoT Core Services is currently in limited preview ahead of a broader preview in July. General availability is due later this year.
You can request to join the preview by emailing iotservices@microsoft.com
Do you plan on using Windows 10 IoT Core Services? Let us know in the comments.
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