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Microsoft, Flexera Team Up to Improve Cloud App Migration

By Alisen Downey, TMCnet Web Editor

In the enterprise landscape, one of the most well-established cloud computing platforms is Microsoft (News - Alert) Azure, which offers a secure and flexible environment from which organizations can implement sophisticated and demanding hosted solutions. But with the sudden rise of cloud-based applications and software, organizations also have encountered a need for cloud-based licensing and monetization models in order to take full advantage of all the cloud has to offer. For software manufacturers, it’s crucial to be able to offer its customers easily accessible models.

Software licensing provider Flexera Software is meeting this need in the cloud space, announcing that FlexNet Licensing—its solution used in over 20,000 applications for licensing software—now enables easy migration of Enterprise Applications on Microsoft Azure. By joining forces and working together, Microsoft and Flexera hope to make it easier for manufacturers to migrate their applications on Azure, drawing on Flexera’s comprehensive monetization and protection options. 

"The licensing technology from Flexera Software is used in many business applications,” said Mike Wick, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Microsoft Azure. “Through our collaboration, software vendors now have a reliable way to host these solutions in Azure. Together we make it easy for software vendors to provide their applications in the cloud." 

With the transition to the cloud, many organizations fear that their applications in the cloud may not be covered by their existing software or contracts due to unforeseen overuse, which can oftentimes lead to expensive payments that could have been avoided. Using software licensing software for cloud services helps these organizations ensure that they are up-to-date in their licenses and can use the software programs without worry. Microsoft and Flexera’s new deal will help to facilitate this. Applications that use FlexNet Licensing can be converted to Azure with ease so that organizations can be sure be they are continuing to meet their software contract requirements.

All in all, the deal between Microsoft and Flexera is good for the companies, but is even better for customers, who will now be able to transfer their applications to the cloud to reduce overhead and IT costs while also increasing the availability of cloud-based applications and minimizing related compliance risks.