Microsoft is making the cloud-based financial management software Cloud Cruiser available with Windows Server 2012 R2 via Windows Azure Pack. This adds financial management, chargeback, and cloud billing to SMBs and hosters employing cloud solutions based on Windows Azure.
Cloud Cruiser works directly from the Windows Azure portal, enabling customers to manage both the operational and financial aspects of their Windows Azure cloud from a single dashboard.
“With Windows Azure Pack, SMBs and hosters gain the capabilities of the Windows Azure public cloud in their datacenter or a hosted cloud,” says Ryan O’Hara, Microsoft’s director of program management, cloud and enterprise division. “Cloud Cruiser’s financial management solution gives customers insight into the transformative economics of Microsoft’s cloud technologies. With Microsoft and Cloud Cruiser customers can make real-time strategic business decisions that can drive greater efficiency and profitability.”
“The inclusion of Cloud Cruiser with Windows Server is a clear signal that financial management is integral to every cloud strategy,” says Nick van der Zweep, Cloud Cruiser’s vice president of strategy. “This relationship helps ensure that businesses can deliver innovative, scalable, and profitable cloud services.”
Cloud Cruiser’s latest release includes a next generation user interface designed to present usage data as financial intelligence. Additional capabilities include support for heterogeneous computing environments (such as industry-standard public and private cloud platforms), storage management, and applications.
