U.K. vehicle data specialist Wejo is extending its partnership with Microsoft by adopting the tech giant’s Connected Fleets reference architecture.

The Manchester-based company, a global leader in cloud and software solutions for connected, electric and autonomous vehicle data, will become part of a comprehensive ecosystem of Microsoft partners who serve the fleet management market.

The Connected Fleets reference architecture is claimed to enable faster, lower-cost, fleet management solutions – such as asset management and field service – by making it easier to extract value from connected vehicle data, streamlining integration with business systems and facilitating specialized analytics. 

It uses a framework based on the Microsoft Common Data Model, meaning customers can take advantage of other Microsoft products such as Azure and Dynamics 365, eliminating the need for different solutions built from multiple sources.

“With Microsoft Connected Fleets, Wejo will expand its footprint in the Connected Fleets space while embracing Microsoft’s scalability, reliability and agility to drive application development and shape future business strategies,” said Richard Barlow, Wejo founder and CEO.  

Wejo’s connected vehicle data (CVD) is delivered in near real time, directly from its OEM partners, including Ford. 

With Wejo now part of the Microsoft ecosystem, customers will enjoy more efficient access to it. Other benefits include faster integrations for customers, accelerated time-to-insights and fleet management capability without the need to retrofit hardware.

Wejo joins companies such as Accenture, Cognizant and Luxoft as part of the Connected Fleets reference architecture.

“We’re excited to be part of the Connected Fleets interconnected ecosystem of partner solutions and work with Microsoft on better delivering the data and insights necessary to fleet customers and partners to keep their drivers safe on the road while driving efficiencies across their fleets,” Barlow said.

Sanjay Ravi, general manager, automotive, mobility and transportation industry at Microsoft, added: “Wejo brings deep experience and expanded data and fleet management insights to Microsoft Connected Fleets. [It] helps to significantly increase solution velocity and lower data acquisition cost by eliminating the need to fit new hardware to vehicles for fleet management, helping drive efficiencies and more value for customers.”