Cloud analytics software provider Cloud Cruiser, announced the release of Cloud Cruiser 16, its latest software-as-a-service (SaaS) application that provides a smart meter for today’s multi-cloud environment.
With Cloud Cruiser 16, customers can optimize the delivery of cloud services by metering usage by user.
Using Cloud Cruiser’s built-in SmartTag technology, businesses can enhance cloud data for richer analyses, and if tags have been used incorrectly, the app will prompt tags based on previous patterns.
“Cloud services are easy to provision and quick to access. Business users can self-service and no longer rely on an IT professional,” Deirdre Mahon, chief marketing officer at Cloud Cruiser, told eWEEK. “It’s all about agility and time to value. However, when services reach a certain spend threshold or multiple services are being used from different cloud providers, someone needs to govern and manage because runaway spend becomes a real issue.”
Mahon said the first step in optimization is metering usage and spend, because once businesses have a clear picture of both elements across the entire business, they can then start to optimize.
“Have you left services turned on that are not being used, did you advance purchase too much capacity or why are there unusual spikes in spend not seen before? Instant reporting visibility to exactly what is being consumed across multi-clouds enables quick decisions and ultimately avoids bill shock and waste,” she explained. “With these rich analytics, you can now better plan for the future such as which cloud for which workload and at what cost.”
The software also comes with a feature called Instant Insights, a recommendation engine that pinpoints where businesses need to affect changes and avoid waste such as over-provisioned services or unusual spikes in spend.
As for the future of cloud technology, Mahon said hybrid or multi-cloud usage will continue and competition will stiffen.
“We will see an increasing range of services launched and commodity pricing will go down over the coming year,” she said. “Public clouds will lead the market with private offerings for those sensitive crown-jewel environments.”
She explained IT’s role will morph as they will be forced to work closely with business users, becoming less the IT cop and more the enabler for savvy business users who want to see exactly what is going on with their usage and spend patterns.
“Line of business heads want charts and graphs on spend patterns, which projects and which users,” she said. “Such visibility and accountability will drive better behavior and ultimately better decisions on which services to use for business advantage.”