Microsoft, Jasper in Azure Cloud Services, Connectivity IoT Deal

True to its embryonic status, the Internet of Things (IoT) now is marked by a series of high-level alignments involving IT heavyweights that one day may position the participants to best take advantage of a fully connected world.

Fittingly, Microsoft (MSFT), which is angling for position for its upcoming, albeit not-yet-in-preview Azure IoT Suite, has signed on with Jasper, a Santa Clara, CA-based provider of cloud-based IoT services, targeting a goal to help businesses bring IoT services to market faster.

Jasper’s technology, right up the IoT’s alley with its set up to manage wireless device connections. also includes software to handles connectivity provisioning, policy, network controls, billing and performance monitoring, according to Macario Namie, Jasper strategy vice president.

“Through this strategic partnership with Microsoft, we continue to increase the business value of IoT by making it easier and faster for enterprises to bring their IoT services to market, and to scale those services globally,” he said.

At the top level of their partnership, Jasper’s Control Center cloud platform will leverage the Azure IoT Suite’s preconfigured solutions into an end-to-end IoT presentation.

More specifically, Jasper said its technology offers real-time visibility, intelligence and control needed to accelerate time-to-market, automate operations, optimize performance, troubleshoot and fix issues, and manage costs. At this point, Jasper said it works with some 25 mobile operator groups, representing more than 100 mobile operator networks worldwide, to deliver its Control Center technology in more than 100 countries.

Microsoft describes the Azure IoT Suite as an integrated offering drawing on associated Azure capabilities to connect devices, capture, integrate and orchestrate data flow, and then analyze and sift it as useful, actionable information.

“Our vision for the Azure IoT Suite is to help companies thrive in this era of IoT by delivering preconfigured solutions and world class services that any company, whether startup or the most established global enterprises, can use to create new value,” said Sam George, Microsoft Azure IoT partner director.

“Jasper’s IoT services platform is a critical component of delivering on this vision,” he said. “By bringing together the Jasper Platform and the Azure IoT Suite, businesses of any size and in any industry can build cost effective IoT solutions for themselves or their customers.”

Namie told Fortune that Jasper’s deal with Microsoft is not exclusive and the company could make similar arrangements with other cloud services providers such as Amazon Web Services (AMZN) or Google (GOOG). Jasper already maintains such deals with SAP (SAP) for its HANA platform and Salesforce (CRM) for its CRM technology.