Microsoft wants to link robots to the cloud.
At the Hanover Messes industrial fair in Germany this week, Microsoft Corp. will demonstrate how an industrial robotic arm can stream data to Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform.
Microsoft is working with robot maker Kuka Robotics to show how the multi-jointed arm can accomplish the delicate task of threading a small tube into the back of a dishwasher without damaging the appliance.
Should the robot encounter any difficulties, the machine can alert the human operators via Microsoft Ban wearables or Windows tablet devices that the humans carry. The robot can also be linked to a Kinect 3D sensor that allows it to identify technicians who arrive for troubleshooting work.
Will new AWS analytics service beat IBM’s Watson?
Amazon Web Services recently unveiled a managed analytics service aimed at competing with IBM’s Watson.
Amazon Machine Learning is a fully managed service that will enable developers to create predictive models based on historic data. The service will help users detect problematic transactions and help organizations improve customer support among other things.
Will ERP finally succumb to the cloud?
Enterprise Resource Planning suites have so far managed to avoid moving to the cloud. This won’t be the case for long, according to research company Nucleus Research.
Rebecca Wettermann, vice-president of research for the company, said cloud options are now available for nearly all ERP packages. She believes the data indicates that ERP suites are reaching a cloud tipping point.
A new marketplace for desktop apps-as-a-service
Amazon is selling subscriptions to software including Visual Studio and Office which can be paid on a monthly basis through a marketplace for desktop apps-as-a-service.
The software is run on AWS WorkSpaces, a virtual desktop infrastructure service which Amazon launch in 2015.
Subscriptions start at US$25 per month for a virtual Windows 7 desktop. Adding Office 2013 Professional plus will cost an additional $15 per month.
IBM’s cloud boss LeBlanc speaks about his company’s cloud future
Robert LeBlanc, senior vice-president of IBM cloud, talks about OpenStack, analytics, platform-as-a-service, in-country data and what all these mean to IBM.