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    AppDirect Looks to Provide Visibility into Cloud Usage

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    With organizations relying on more applications and services in the cloud than ever, sorting out who is using what can be a major challenge, especially when there is a need to rein in costs. To help provide more visibility into the usage of cloud services, AppDirect, a provider of an online marketplace, this week moved to acquire Leftronic, a provider of real-time analytics software that can be used to create dashboards that track usage of specific applications and services.

    AppDirect co-CEO Daniel Saks says that while Leftronic will continue to operate as an independent business unit, it’s become clear that organizations that source cloud applications and services through the AppDirect marketplace need more visibility into how those services are being consumed.

    Leftronic enables IT organization to track over 60 different cloud sources, including Google Analytics, Salesforce.com, Zendesk, Facebook and Amazon Web Services. It can also be used to whitelist specific services and provides email alerts when usage thresholds are exceeded.

    Given the proliferation of online marketplaces, Saks says it’s becoming clear the one that provides the most visibility and control over the services being consumed through that market is going to have a leg up on competitors.

    While the tracking of the consumption of cloud services has already become a significant headache, IT organizations need to find a way to bring some order to the chaos. To address that issue, many of them have taken to building their own application stores. Rather than reinventing that particular wheel, however, it may make more sense to take advantage of online marketplaces that are already moving to give customers as much visibility into and control over the cloud services they consume as they are ever likely to need.

    Mike Vizard
    Mike Vizard
    Michael Vizard is a seasoned IT journalist, with nearly 30 years of experience writing and editing about enterprise IT issues. He is a contributor to publications including Programmableweb, IT Business Edge, CIOinsight and UBM Tech. He formerly was editorial director for Ziff-Davis Enterprise, where he launched the company’s custom content division, and has also served as editor in chief for CRN and InfoWorld. He also has held editorial positions at PC Week, Computerworld and Digital Review.

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