How Microsoft Technology Drives Pipeline Integrity Innovation

By building AIP on Microsoft’s secure, scalable Azure platform and embedding tools like Power BI, we give pipeline operators confidence that their integrity management is powered by the same trusted technology foundation used by the world’s most critical industries.

From Microsoft Accelerator to Cloud-First Integrity Innovation

Launching via Microsoft’s Accelerator Program

Our story truly took flight in 2016, when OneBridge (now Irth Solutions) joined the Microsoft Accelerator in Seattle. We quickly learned that aligning and analyzing decades’ worth of pipeline inspection data was far more complex than anticipated. Our first big pivot? Building a robust data mapping and validation engine that could ingest unstructured ILI data, hundreds of thousands of anomalies across thousands of miles of pipe, with high confidence, enabling our machine learning models to deliver real results.

Cloud-Powered Scalability with Azure

From those early days, our direction was clear: the future of pipeline integrity is in the cloud. By embracing Microsoft Azure, we enabled seamless data centralization across departments, eliminated version conflicts, and provided real-time access to engineering data, eliminating the need to dig through old spreadsheets or wait for GIS support. Azure’s scalable computing power also supercharged our analytics, enabling complex threat modeling and anomaly correlation that would have taken weeks on a workstation to now happen in minutes. Security was also built in: our platform benefits from Microsoft’s industry-leading cloud protections, so operators can trust that their data is safe and compliant.

Insightful Dashboards with Power BI Embedded

Data is powerful, but insights are what drive decisions. That’s why we embedded Power BI into our platform, empowering organizations to create, edit, and share integrity data-driven dashboards directly within CIM (now AIP) in minutes. Teams can apply custom filters (such as vendor or anomaly type), tailor visualizations to specific business goals, and share enterprise-wide views, all without needing to export to a separate tool. One powerful example of this is our Data Mart report.

Our Microsoft-Powered Ecosystem at a Glance

The Microsoft Advantage

It’s important for pipeline operators to use software that leverages a trusted technology partner like Microsoft because it addresses several critical priorities in the integrity management world, many of which are regulatory, operational, and reputational:

Security & Compliance

• Microsoft invests billions annually in cybersecurity, with dedicated global threat detection and prevention teams. 
• Azure meets major compliance frameworks (NERC, ISO 27001, SOC, GDPR, etc.), which helps pipeline operators meet regulatory requirements without building those controls from scratch. 
• This is especially vital for protecting sensitive integrity data like ILI results, CP surveys, GIS location information, and asset records from cyber threats. 

Reliability & Uptime

• Integrity programs can’t afford downtime. Azure’s globally distributed data centers and redundancy ensure high availability and disaster recovery, so operators can access critical inspection and risk data when it’s needed most. 
• In incidents like extreme weather or emergency responses, cloud infrastructure resilience directly supports operational continuity.
  

Scalability for Big Data

• Modern integrity programs involve decades of inspection data across thousands of miles of pipe. 
• A platform built on Azure can scale storage and computing resources instantly—handling large-scale anomaly alignment, risk modeling, or GIS overlays without slowdowns.
  

Proven, Supported Technology Ecosystem

• Microsoft is a long-term, stable technology partner with a massive ecosystem of certified developers, integrators, and support staff. 
• This reduces vendor risk for pipeline operators. There is no dependency on untested tech or niche providers with limited lifespans.

Advanced Analytics & Integration

• Microsoft’s toolset (e.g., Power BI, Azure Machine Learning, Azure Synapse) provides a foundation for predictive modeling, interactive dashboards, and real-time analytics. 
• Pipeline integrity teams can integrate other enterprise systems (ERP, GIS, maintenance platforms) more easily via Microsoft’s APIs and connectors.

Trust & Industry Confidence

• Using a Microsoft-powered solution gives operators confidence when presenting to boards, regulators, and stakeholders—they can point to recognized, secure, and compliant infrastructure. 
• It signals that integrity management is backed by the same level of tech rigor used in finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure worldwide. 

Powering the Future of Pipeline Integrity with Microsoft

Thanks to this Microsoft-powered foundation, Irth’s Asset Integrity for Pipelines (AIP) platform now gives operators:

• Full visibility across siloed integrity datasets
• Secure, on-demand analytics powered by cloud-scale compute
• Tailored, shareable dashboards that align with business objectives

It all started with an accelerator—and with each step, we’ve stayed true to making pipeline integrity smarter, faster, and more data-driven.

With Microsoft as our technology partner, pipeline operators can trust that AIP delivers the security, scalability, and innovation needed to protect critical infrastructure, today and into the future.

See the Microsoft-powered difference. Schedule your demo of AIP today.