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Giving certified IoT devices the ability to stand out from the crowd

 

As we work across the IoT industry, we continue to hear from device builders that you are looking for help connecting with customers who want to find the right device to meet their needs and differentiating your devices by making them solution ready. With over 30 billion active IoT devices in the world and 400 percent growth in devices over the past three years, the industry is moving incredibly fast; the challenge of connecting the right audience with the right product will only become more difficult.

 

To enable you to keep up with this pace, I am pleased to share that a unified and enhanced Azure Certified Device program is now generally available, expanding on previous Microsoft certification offerings.

 

At the heart of this device certification program is a promise—a promise to device builders that they can not only quickly get their devices to market, but also better differentiate and promote their devices. And a promise to buyers that they can easily identify devices that meet their needs and purchase those devices with confidence that they have Microsoft approval. Our promise is to the entire IoT ecosystem: Microsoft is committed to helping a diverse set of partners easily create and find IoT devices built to run on Azure, and we’ll support connecting those devices with the right customers.

 

Visit our Getting Started with the Azure Certified Device program page to learn more.

 

Advantages of certifying IoT devices with Microsoft Azure

At Microsoft, we have been certifying devices for over 20 years, resulting in the creation of an ecosystem of over one billion PCs worldwide, that you, our partners, helped build. Now, we are enhancing how we apply our certification experience to our expertise in the cloud—building an IoT device ecosystem that will be exponentially larger—with tens of millions of devices connected to Azure and tens of thousands of customers utilizing devices built by our rapidly growing IoT device builder community. As we continue to build a thriving IoT ecosystem, we are committed to going even further for IoT builders and buyers through our improved tools and services as well as the following certification commitments:

 

  • Giving customers confidence: Customers can confidently purchase Azure certified devices that carry the Microsoft promise of meeting specific capabilities.

  • Matchmaking customers with the right devices for them: Device builders can set themselves apart with certification that highlights their unique capabilities. And customers can easily find the products that fit their needs based on certification differentiation.

  • Promoting certified devices: Device builders get increased visibility, contact with customers, and usage of the Microsoft Azure Certified Device brand.

 

Three certifications available today, with more coming

This IoT device certification program offers three specific certifications today (with more on the way!). Certifications currently available include Azure Certified Device, IoT Plug and Play, and Edge Managed. 

 

Azure Certified Device

Azure Certified Device certification validates that a device can connect with Azure IoT Hub and securely provision through the Device Provisioning Service (DPS). This certification reflects a device’s functionality and interoperability, which are a necessary baseline for more advanced certifications.

 

IoT Plug and Play

Announced in August, IoT Plug and Play certification validates Digital Twin Definition Language (DTDL) version 2 and interaction based on your device model. It enables a seamless device-to-cloud integration experience and enables hardware partners to build devices that can easily integrate with cloud solutions based on Azure IoT Central as well as third-party solutions. Additionally, Azure IoT platform services and SDKs for IoT Plug and Play will be generally available by the end of this month. View our developer documentation for more information, and join the companies already beginning to prepare and certify their devices for IoT Plug and Play.

 

Edge Managed

Edge Managed certification focuses on device management standards for Azure connected devices. Today, this program certification focuses on Edge runtime compatibility for module deployment and management. Informed by conversations with our partners, our Edge Managed certification will continue to grow in the future with additional customer manageability needs.

 

 

Security and edge AI certifications soon in private preview

In addition to the currently available certifications, we are also working on additional security and edge AI certifications, which will soon be in private preview. These programs reflect our continued engagement with customers and partners to address key customer needs and business opportunities in delivering both secure and high-quality AI perception experiences at the edge. Interested partners can contact the Azure Certified Device team for more information.

 

Accelerate business with the Azure Certified Device Catalog

The Azure Certified Device certification program connects a community of device builders with solution builders and buyers through the Azure Certified Device Catalog. Certified devices are searchable based on which devices meet which capabilities, allowing device builders to differentiate their offerings based on the certification program. By certifying their devices to appear in the Azure Certified Device Catalog, device builders gain access to a worldwide audience looking to reliably purchase devices that are built to run on Azure. Meanwhile, buyers can use the catalog as a one-stop-shop they can trust to find and review a wide array of IoT devices.

 

Next steps for pursuing IoT device certification                                   

If you’re a device builder, now is the right time to start thinking about how IoT device certification can benefit your company—elevating your profile and better positioning your devices to reach a broader market. Begin saving valuable time and make your devices stand out from the crowd by taking part in the Azure Certified Device program.

 

Visit our Getting Started with the Azure Certified Device program page to learn more.

 

Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.