Case Study · CSP partner

How XContent delivered 32% Azure savings by white-labeling CloudMonitor.

A South African CSP integrated CloudMonitor into their CloudSource offering — giving every customer visibility on cloud spend, anomalies and cost-saving quick wins.

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About the customer

XContent

South African Cloud Services Provider specializing in the Microsoft ecosystem — delivering managed Azure, security, and FinOps to enterprise customers across the region.

Industry: CSP · IT and Professional Services
Headquarters: Pretoria, South Africa
Company size: 50+
Website: xcontent.com

Results at a glance

XContent · by the numbers.

32%

Azure savings on a key customer

CloudSource

CloudMonitor white-labeled inside

Portfolio

FinOps reporting for every client

The Problem Statement

Customers needed clarity on cloud spend in an opaque Microsoft ecosystem.

As a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) specializing in the Microsoft ecosystem, we at XContent, in collaboration with CloudMonitor, are committed to being the trusted advisors for our clients. Our mission is to demystify the complexities of the Microsoft environment, with a particular emphasis on Security, Compliance, and Costing.

The challenge we face is the lack of transparency and understanding that many customers have regarding their cloud spending. This complexity is not just an external issue; it reflects our internal need to enhance our ability to manage resources and expenses effectively, even after leveraging Azure's capabilities for nearly a decade.

In our pursuit of excellence, we identified the need for a tool that could resonate with Microsoft's core principles and provide the essential data to guide both our customers and us toward well-informed decisions. Our collaboration with CloudMonitor is a strategic step towards achieving this goal, aiming to simplify the navigation of the Microsoft ecosystem and provide clarity on cloud spending for our customers.

Before CloudMonitor

The Key FinOps Challenges

Three blockers were holding XContent back from delivering a complete FinOps service.

Customers do not have good visibility on their cloud spend.
Many security loopholes that leave our customers at risk.
We need a tool to identify the quick wins for us to pass on to our customers.

The FinOps Solution

White-label CloudMonitor inside CloudSource — one consultation, full visibility.

After a meticulous evaluation of our and our customers' cloud estate, we recognized the necessity to both understand and optimize resources to deliver unparalleled value to our clients. By white labeling CloudMonitor as part of CloudSource, we achieved an all-encompassing perspective of the Azure framework. This integration illuminated areas of redundant resources, high-cost deployment patterns, and inconsistencies among various resource types.

Utilizing these insights, we seamlessly incorporated them into our client consultations. Our clients were particularly impressed with the visualizations, patterns, recommendations, and detailed data on their resources, which are often difficult to obtain through native Microsoft tools. This unified strategy, under the CloudSource umbrella, has the potential to enhance any cloud-based organization's efficiency. We have successfully implemented this approach with numerous clients, all of whom have realized significant benefits.

The Results in the Business

A customer showing a 32% reduction in Azure spend.

By white labeling CloudMonitor and incorporating it into the CloudSource product, XContent managed to deliver up to 32% in savings for their various customers.

Each CloudSource customer now receives a professional FinOps reporting solution which gives their business users visibility on their cloud spend and any cost anomalies.

Key results

Customer Azure savings

Up to 32% Azure cost reduction delivered to CloudSource customers using CloudMonitor inside the offering.

Professional FinOps reporting

Every CloudSource customer gets a recurring, business-readable view of cloud spend across their estate.

Cost anomaly visibility

Anomalies are surfaced to business users — not buried in the Azure portal — so spikes are caught early.

Related FinOps Domains

CloudSource customers most often start with Understand Cloud Usage and Cost — giving the business its first real picture of cloud spend.

The quick-wins pipeline that XContent surfaces to customers sits inside Cloud Usage Optimization.

Cost-anomaly alerting maps directly to the Anomaly Management capability.

Empowering the customers' cloud journey with precision and integrity, CloudSource, in collaboration with CloudMonitor, is a trusted partner in navigating the complexities of the digital landscape. Our tailored solutions provide unparalleled insights into Cloud Cost Reduction, Security, and Compliance, transforming challenges into opportunities. With CloudSource and CloudMonitor, we are not just managing your cloud — we are mastering it.