Microsoft Azure IoT Central vs. Watson IoT Platform

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Azure IoT Central
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Azure IoT Central allows users to connect IoT devices to the cloud and offers centralized management to configure and updated connected devices.N/A
Watson IoT Platform
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
The IBM Watson IoT Platform is an Internet-of-things is a managed cloud-hosted solution supporting device connectivity, control, visualization, and overall device visibility and management. It provides a UI where users can add and manage devices, control access to IoT service, and monitor usage. With its device management service, users can perform device actions like rebooting or updating firmware, receive device diagnostics and metadata, or perform bulk device addition and removal.N/A
Pricing
Microsoft Azure IoT CentralWatson IoT Platform
Editions & Modules
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Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Azure IoT CentralWatson IoT Platform
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Azure IoT CentralWatson IoT Platform
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Microsoft Azure IoT CentralWatson IoT Platform
Small Businesses
Portainer
Portainer
Score 9.3 out of 10
Portainer
Portainer
Score 9.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies

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Enterprises

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All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft Azure IoT CentralWatson IoT Platform
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(4 ratings)
8.4
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Azure IoT CentralWatson IoT Platform
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
One scenario where it was appropriate was allowing us to communicate through apps with our temperature, moisture, and water quality sensors. It's great to have the recordings done automatically and sent back to a central processing point. It is also highly useful when used to collect this data around the clock. One situation where it was less appropriate was in trying to extend our beginning services to other businesses. This is really more of a logistical problem and not really one for the software.
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IBM
For large companies with large-scale manufacturing, electronics management, and infrastructures that require lots of maintenance, IBM Watson IoT is a must-have. It greatly increases performance, decreases downtime, and is an all-around great management dashboard. This is best for infrastructures that have a larger infrastructures of IoT devices in an enterprise/manufacturing setting, otherwise IBM Watson may not bring many benefits to your team.
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Pros
Microsoft
  • Creation and management of user roles, who can access your IoT resources and configure the level of access, very granular and self-explanatory
  • Configuration of apps and devices, integrations, and administrations are done in an intuitive way and it's easy to navigate your way through the available settings.
  • The documentation is really excellent, everything is explained succinctly and there are enough practical examples to get you started.
  • Existing templates can save you a lot of time in getting your desired setup complete with less effort and time invested.
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IBM
  • The asset information is available in both static and dynamic format (from thermal images, to OEM data, to time series data). The ability to ingest all the information using a single platform has great value.
  • Another benefit is a seamless integration with Maximo. This has been a challenge with other 3rd party systems available.
  • The experience of IBM Maximo systems updates is positive.
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Cons
Microsoft
  • Lack of info on error messages
  • GUI misses important configuration options
  • Not well documented options inside IoT Hub for example (consumer groups)
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IBM
  • Some of the tutorials could use a little more improvement - While there is a considerable amount of documentation, most of the good documentation for Watson IoT we found to be from third-parties.
  • Administration and billing tools could use a bit more improvement - The UI is a bit clunky and poorly-designed here.
  • Be prepared to work with IBM support to get this going - Their turn-around support for inquiries can be lengthy, and setup time may also be quite lengthy because of this.
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Handles excellently and after trying a few of them I saw that it is most suitable for the current work of the company and all the products that the company works with
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IBM
Predix has recently launched their Asset Performance management Unified system. I am keen to see how it stacks up against Watson.
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Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • It has allowed us to expand the number of times data is collected without adding cost.
  • It has allowed us to train our technicians in the use the technology so they gain more useful skills.
  • We have been able to develop a business model that is not bound by our physical location.
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IBM
  • Positive - This tool greatly increases most company's manufacturing and production efficiency, and the use-cases are extensive. It was a great way of decreasing down-time for us.
  • Negative - Took lots of work and energy to get up and running, we had to rely on IBM support and tutorials many times during this process.
  • Positive - Quite cheap, most of the tiers of pricing cost very little, and it's possible to use Watson IoT for a few months for free to see if it is beneficial for your company.
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