Siemens joins forces with Microsoft to boost IoT compatibility in building automation
The collaboration between Siemens Smart Infrastructure and Microsoft Azure IoT Operations is set to transform the way IoT data is accessed for buildings, enabling seamless interoperability between Siemens' digital building platform, Building X, and Microsoft's Azure IoT Operations platform powered by Azure Arc.
This integration connects edge devices and integrates their data on the cloud, making it easier for large enterprise customers to onboard, monitor, and manage IoT devices automatically with just one click.
The key benefits offered to large enterprises—including commercial buildings, data centers, and higher education facilities—are:
- Improved access to diverse IoT data points such as temperature, pressure, and indoor air quality from assets like HVAC systems, valves, and actuators, which helps optimize operations and enhance building sustainability.
- Reduced integration efforts by up to 80% through the use of open industry standards such as W3C Web of Things (WoT) and OPC UA PubSub, allowing easier and vendor-agnostic IoT architecture design and device onboarding.
- Greater operational flexibility and freedom to design custom IoT use cases like energy monitoring and space optimization, leveraging a more open ecosystem rather than being locked into a single vendor.
- Enhanced scalability and edge-to-cloud connectivity, with tools and infrastructure in Azure IoT Operations enabling enterprises to optimize facility management and harness IoT environment potential more effectively.
The partnership enables enterprises to gain more timely, interoperable, and actionable IoT data insights for operational efficiency, sustainability improvements, and innovation in building management at scale.
This solution represents one of the first integrations of IoT data purely based on open standards across providers. The collaboration uses open industry standards, including World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web of Things (WoT) and Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA) for communication of data to the cloud.
Susanne Seitz, CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure Buildings, stated that the improved data access will provide portfolio managers with granular visibility into critical metrics such as energy efficiency and consumption. Erich Barnstedt, senior director and Architect of the corporate standards group at Microsoft, commented that the collaboration is a significant step forward in making IoT data more actionable.
The interoperability of Building X and Azure IoT Operations is beneficial for large enterprise customers across commercial buildings, data centres, and higher education facilities. The interoperability between Siemens' Building X and Azure IoT Operations will be available on the market from the second half of 2025.
Microsoft's strategy emphasizes commitment to partnering with industry leaders to empower customers with greater choice and control over their IoT solutions. Siemens shares this focus on interoperability and open IoT standards. This collaboration is a shared vision to enable customers to fully utilize IoT potential through open standards and interoperability.
- The collaboration between Siemens Smart Infrastructure and Microsoft Azure IoT Operations, utilizing technology such as data-and-cloud computing, is revolutionizing the way IoT data is accessed for buildings.
- The implementation of open industry standards like W3C Web of Things (WoT) and OPC UA PubSub in the partnership between Siemens and Microsoft signifies a significant advancement in technology, making IoT data more actionable.
