14 DAY TRIAL // Long-time partners Microsoft and Ford have just announced the creation of a new system called Service Delivery Network that would allow customers of the American-based car manufacturer to remain connected to their vehicles at all times.
Microsoft cloud solution Azure will be the core of the new system and will provide on-the-go solutions that will be accessible through a smartphone and that will allow drivers to get information about their cars in real time.
At the same time, Azure will enable Ford to use cloud power to deliver updates to vehicles as they become available, so the US-based car maker promises to always provide the latest technology to customers without any delay, as it happened before.
Basically, Microsoft Azure will become responsible for delivering software updates to Ford cars, including pretty much everything, from new features to updated maps and improvements for the system itself. Once connected to Microsoft Azure, the in-car system keeps an eye on the cloud server and retrieves updates as soon as they become available.
Obviously, all updates will be delivered to vehicles over the air, but at the same time, Azure will become the foundation of MyFord and MyLincoln Mobile services.
Additional features through a smartphone
Azure will expand the availability of the two services to more markets and will allow drivers to perform a number of tasks remotely, as they remain permanently connected to their cars.
For instance, features such as scheduled remote start, vehicle finder, vehicle status information, including fuel or charge level and tire pressure, will all be available on a smartphone and delivered by Microsoft Azure.
This isn't the first time when Microsoft and Ford are joining forces for in-car technologies.
The Redmond-based software giant was the sole provider of the first two generations of Ford's infotainment system called Sync, but it was eventually replaced by BlackBerry last year, so QNX, the system developed by the Canadian manufacturer, will be installed in model year 2015 Ford models.