The Record - Issue 21: Summer 2021

“IoT is playing a critical and expanding role for businesses, especially as they continue to navigate new experiences and challenges as a result of the pandemic” and autonomous systems at the core,” he says. “We can apply modern software techniques like analytics, simulation, autonomous control and interactions to digital replicas of physical environments to achieve previously impossible benefits that span across sectors. “A retail store can ensure inventory is tracked and shelves are always stocked, a supply chain can track and reduce carbon emissions, and a city plan can simulate various growth pro- posals to ensure the locality is making the best use of energy sources. This convergence of physical and digital spaces creates an abun- dance of opportunities for new, transforma- tive solutions.” With IoT becoming more commonplace, businesses and public sector organisations must address the challenge of managing and using the rapidly increasing amount of data that is available to them. This is where other technologies, like those related to the cloud, can work hand-in-hand with IoT. Microsoft Azure and Teams are two prod- ucts that not only fit into Microsoft’s Industry Cloud strategy seamlessly, but have also seen 39