That's why Microsoft announced plans to combine a variety of its current services into a new, subscription-based package: the Cortana Analytics Suite.

While it's named for Microsoft's personal digital assistant, Cortana, the new suite will feature more than just an intelligent interface that lets users speak commands to their computers and other devices. The suite will also offer tools for big data management, machine learning, business intelligence visualization, and forecasting. Microsoft is not yet providing any pricing information for the suite.

Set for release sometime this fall, the Cortana Analytics Suite is already being used by a few early adopters such as the New Hampshire-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System and the North American Eagle project, which aims to break the world's land-speed record later this year.

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