Microsoft is making some changes to its enterprise map services. Today, the company revealed it will be retiring Bing Maps for Enterprise in the next few years, and will merge its data and technology with Azure Maps.
In a blog post, Microsoft stated that this move will help to simplify its enterprise maps business. It added.
This unification enables our customers to accelerate innovation by leveraging other Microsoft Azure cloud services while retaining many familiar features from Bing Maps for Enterprise within Azure Maps. Moreover, Azure Maps introduces several features not found in Bing Maps for Enterprise, including advanced service authentication methods, data residency compliance, geolocation, weather information, and custom indoor maps.
Microsoft says it will no longer accept new customers for Bing Maps for Enterprise after June 30, 2024. People who access the service under the free and basic tiers will no longer be able to use it after June 30, 2025.
Customers who have a full enterprise license will still have a few more years to switch over to Azure Maps. Those users will have until June 30, 2028, before their access to Bing Maps for Enterprise is closed.
Microsoft added:
While the demand for geospatial information continues to grow, the context of “when” and “how” we utilize this information is evolving. At Microsoft, we have observed how technologies in cloud and AI are reshaping how our customers engage with the services we offer.
This is yet another example of Microsoft slowly removing the use of the Bing branding for its services. In late 2023, just a few months after it launched its AI chatbot as Bing Chat, Microsoft decided to ditch that branding and use Copilot instead.
in January, Microsoft announced that its AI art generation, Bing Image Creator, was getting a name change as well, to Image Creator from Designer. Microsoft still uses the Bing branding for its search engine and for its consumer Bing Maps service.