6fusion Extends Cloud Resource Meter to VMware Clouds

6fusion has made a name for itself as a provider of an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) platform, but it’s probably best known for its so-called “workload allocation cube,” (WAC) a metric of cloud usage that provides a standard unit for customer billing and cost assessment. And at Cloud Connect 2012, 6fusion announced WAC is coming to VMware vSphere environments by way of a free cloud resource meter.

The 6fusion Cloud Resource Meter for VMware vSphere, as it’s called, deploys as a free vApp into any vSphere 4.x environment. Once installed, it can be used to meter any workload, whether running on-premises or in the public cloud, on physical or virtual servers. Administrators get insight into current usage, short-term historical usage and more in real time. For deeper insights, users have to log into 6fusion’s UC6 portal, according to the press release.

The “why” of it is is fairly straightforward: 6fusion’s claim to fame, as I noted above, is to help organizations put a cost on cloud usage under a utility billing model. For a cloud service provider, it’s a useful tool to determine how much that monthly invoice should be for. To an enterprise, it provides real insight into the cost of moving on-premises applications into the cloud, just for starters. In short, it’s a handy (and patent-pending) benchmark.

Now, since 6fusion provides its own infrastructure federation platform, I’m wondering why it’s bringing this free tool to VMware’s platform. Best guess is this is merely testing the water for paid tools with deeper cloud management functionality coming down the line.

6fusion isn’t saying when the Cloud Resource Meter for VMware vSphere will hit the newly launched VMware Solution Exchange app store. But if you’re interested, you can sign up for more information here.