Nokia struck a deal with Microsoft to up the abilities of its MX Industrial Edge product, a pact the network vendor noted would boost mission-critical applications in enterprise settings and help improve safety.

In a statement, Nokia noted it planned to integrate Microsoft Azure Arc into its enterprise-focused platform.

This, Nokia explained, will provide options for a mixture of on-site and cloud-run applications tailored depending on specific use case requirements.

Verticals cited as potential customers include automotive, manufacturing, logistics and government. The collaboration is the vendor’s latest with computing giant Microsoft.

Nokia added integration of the Microsoft platform will “provide numerous benefits such as increasing worker safety through AI and automation, while decreasing the amount of needed backhaul with local data processing.”

The deal enhances the vendor’s so-called off-the-shelf industrial edge product released in 2021 as part of its push to grab a slice of the potentially lucrative industry 4.0 segment.

It is Nokia’s latest agreement targeting the sector after signing several contracts with enterprise, cloud and IT players including IBM spin-off Kyndryl in February.