Bosch is launching its own cloud computing services for the Internet of Things, with the first cloud facility to be located in Germany.
The company is the latest to join the IoT bandwagon by becoming a full service provider for connectivity and the Internet of Things.
"As of today, we offer all the ace cards for the connected world from a single source," says Volkmar Denner, Bosch CEO, at the Bosch ConnectedWorld meeting held in Berlin. "The Bosch IoT Cloud is the final piece of the puzzle that completes our software expertise. We are now a full service provider for connectivity and the Internet of Things."
Currently, there are at least 5 million devices that are working with Bosch's IoT Suite. These include the staples of a connected home such as a central hub and contact sensors between the door and window.
Outside the home, the company's IoT Suite also includes connected parking spots that allow consumers to reserve a spot prior to arriving, and auto-racing applications that could monitor essential racecar details even in a distance through a pit crew.
Moving further away and going into the farmers' asparagus harvesting field, the Bosch IoT Cloud allows farmers to gain a better understanding of the ground's exact temperature in order to improve harvest and yield.
"These examples show that intelligently connected devices, complemented by services from our IoT Cloud, are the basis of successful IoT business models," added Denner. "Connected solutions improve people's quality of life and conserve natural resources."
Bosch hopes that its Germany-based cloud computing center will attract consumers who may have raised doubts on the data security of servers owned by the United States. The company plans to run its own cloud-based in-house applications this year, which could reach around 50 in number. There is also the plan to open up to other companies beginning in 2017. Moreover, Bosch intends to have a global launch of more data centers, but the timeline for an expansion is still undetermined.
According to the company, its IoT Cloud's location in Germany allows it to gain a competitive edge and eventually creates the country's status as a seat of innovation.
The Bosch ConnectedWorld annual conference event focuses on the Internet of Things initiative. This year, around 1,000 global experts will be attending the event to discuss current areas of application as well as new business models.
"The Bosch IoT Cloud is one of the most important milestones of our transformation into a product company with advanced IT capabilities," says Bosch.
