RAC selects Microsoft to deliver next generation of technology solutions for customers

In a move that marks a significant further shift towards “access from anywhere” cloud-based services for its customers, the RAC has selected Microsoft to add scale to its telematics platform and to transform data into new services.

With a growing member base and data and statistics from more than two and a half million roadside events per year, the RAC is becoming more and more data hungry. And with the continued growth of telematics and connected car technologies bringing more live data streams online each year, its data processing and storage needs are growing exponentially.

To meet these growing data requirements, the RAC is adopting Microsoft Azure and Azure IoT Hub to provide a secure, stable and robust platform for storing and processing massive amounts of data in real-time, and to turn it into new services for RAC customers.

RAC Telematics managing director Nick Walker said: “We’re very excited about the potential this new relationship with Microsoft represents and what it will mean for our customers.

“Telematics is well known for generating huge amounts of data which, if not processed into meaningful services, just causes our customers headaches. Customers need solutions in the form of alerts and advice on specific data points. Our work with Microsoft and the use of its Azure services will give us both the secure environment and the scalability to process telematics data in real-time and provide meaningful insights to drivers and fleet managers about their vehicles.

“For example, it is simply not good enough to report raw engine fault codes. Vehicle drivers need to know which codes will affect their vehicle performance and what course of action to take. Given the years of experience the RAC has of interpreting vehicle fault data into fixes, we have the knowledge to provide drivers with the advice they need.

“However, when scaled across hundreds of thousands of vehicles with simultaneous live data streams, it requires huge amounts of data and processing capability wrapped in a secure and reliable environment. This is why we have chosen to partner with Microsoft.”

Nicola Hodson, general manager, Marketing and Operations, Microsoft UK said: “Forward thinking organisations like the RAC are embracing cloud services to digitally transform and fundamentally reshape their entire business strategies.

“By moving to Microsoft Azure and ingesting data via the Azure IoT Hub, the RAC will significantly enhance its ability to process and analyse mountains of data into valuable real-time insights. Through this work, the RAC will be able to deliver more effective services to their customers by giving employees the right data to take decisions in the moment.”

RAC will be launching new services based on the new platform technology in the coming months.

ENDS