Microsoft is acquiring The Marsden Group, a leader in industrial technology innovation and rapid prototyping, the tech giant announced Tuesday.
In industries such as manufacturing, automotive and logistics, Microsoft says the acquisition will help customers experiment and find solutions quickly through such services as its cloud, edge and artificial intelligence products.
Omar Abbosh, Microsoft corporate vice president for Cross-Industry Solutions, said in a blog post that The Marsden Group, with offices in the U.K. and Houston, “has earned a unique reputation as a powerful and trusted partner among industry leaders.”
“We know that in asset-intensive industries, such as manufacturing, automotive or logistics, companies face unique challenges in adopting new technologies, for example connecting industrial equipment safely and securely to the cloud, overcoming data silos and supporting interoperability across modern and legacy systems,” Abbosh wrote.
“Our partners often refer to us as their outsourced rapid R&D division,” The Marsden Group says on its website. “This is partly due to our speed, willingness to question the norm and the speed at which we test and incorporate the latest technological innovations into our bespoke solutions for them.”
The Marsden Group has been a Microsoft Gold Partner. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Three years ago, Microsoft announced plans to invest $5 billion in the Internet of Things to help businesses of all sizes and levels of technical expertise build connected devices and programs.
