Please vote here for the People’s Choice Award - cast your vote at: Chicago Innovation Awards

Introduction: A New Frontier in Enterprise SaaS Management

In an era where SaaS, cloud and AI costs can quietly balloon beyond budget forecasts, few tools are designed to make every dollar of IT spend accountable. CloudNuro - an Illinois-born platform recognized as one of the Top 100 Finalists in the 2025 Chicago Innovation Awards - has done just that. Not by patching together piecemeal visibility or dashboards, but by redefining how enterprises approach SaaS, cloud, and AI environments at scale.

CloudNuro is a leader in Enterprise SaaS Management Platforms, giving enterprises unmatched visibility, governance and cost optimization. Recognized twice in a row by Gartner in the SaaS Management Platforms Magic Quadrant and named a Leader in the Info-Tech SoftwareReviews Data Quadrant, CloudNuro is trusted by global enterprises and government agencies to bring financial discipline to SaaS and cloud.

Trusted by enterprises such as Konica Minolta and Federal Signal, it provides centralized SaaS inventory, license optimization, and renewal management along with advanced cost allocation and chargeback - giving IT and Finance leaders the visibility, control, and cost-conscious culture needed to drive financial discipline.

Why the Chicago Innovation Awards Recognition Matters

The Chicago Innovation Awards, now in its 24th year, honors companies that are transforming industries through disruptive solutions. From over 315 regional nominees, CloudNuro earned its spot not just for technical achievement - but for pioneering framework that spans SaaS, cloud, and AI. The platform empowers organizations to reduce waste, streamline IT workflows, and inject accountability into every app, license, and workload.

This isn’t innovation for the sake of innovation. It’s deliberate transformation rooted in real-world inefficiencies - like dormant Microsoft 365 licenses, rogue AWS VMs, or shadow AI tools running without oversight. CloudNuro addresses these at their source, offering real-time remediation, automated governance, and chargeback systems tailored for enterprise scale.

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What Makes CloudNuro’s Innovation Unique

Let’s break down why CloudNuro isn’t just another SaaS visibility dashboard - but a platform that’s reshaping IT finance strategy.

‍Enterprise SaaS, Cloud & AI Visibility

Organizations typically use separate tools for SaaS management, cloud FinOps, and emerging AI app monitoring. CloudNuro merges all three into a single, intuitive console.

• Collects data from DNS, SSO, IAM, and EDR telemetry to uncover every app, user, and service.
• Provides real-time visibility across all digital assets, not just discovered applications.
• Enables IT, Finance, and Compliance teams to make aligned decisions from a shared cost and risk view.
• Creates a single source of truth for license usage, workload efficiency, and budget accountability.

‍Auto Discovery across SaaS, Cloud & AI

• Runs continuous discovery across APIs, expense feeds, and network data to find every active or rogue app.
• Detects shadow IT, duplicate licenses, and unapproved AI tools instantly.
• Identifies new SaaS subscriptions or AI app activations in near real time.
• Automatically links apps and users to owners and cost centers, ensuring spend traceability.
• Keeps the discovery layer self-updating, eliminating the need for manual audits or static spreadsheets.

‍User Access Reviews

• Automates entitlement and access reviews across SaaS and cloud platforms.
• Analyzes usage frequency, role mapping, and permission level to rightsize user privileges.
• Detects dormant accounts, over-privileged users, and inactive service identities.
• Integrates with SoD frameworks and IAM systems for policy-aligned governance.
• Generates audit-ready access reports, streamlining compliance and internal reviews.

‍AI-Driven Optimization

CloudNuro doesn’t just identify cost anomalies - it acts on them:

• Reclaims idle Microsoft 365, ServiceNow, Salesforce and 100+ SaaS licenses
• Decommissions unused cloud resources across AWS, Azure, OCI, GCP
• Flags non-human identities (bots, APIs, test accounts) draining high-value licenses
• Performs intelligent license tier adjustments to optimize usage-to-cost ratios

Built-in SaaS Chargeback & Cost Allocation

Unlike point tools or spreadsheets, CloudNuro supports:

• License-based and usage-based chargeback
• Business unit attribution with flexible markup
• General Ledger (GL) mapping
• Multi-version cost reports by role, region, or app
• Showback/chargeback for both SaaS and Cloud services

Proactive Governance & Policy Enforcement

CloudNuro enforces cost, access, and compliance policies:

• Enforces SoD controls
• Auto-expiry for stale accounts
• Blocks new SaaS app adoption without owner mapping
• Ensures only business-critical apps retain high-cost licenses

Case Study: Midwest Manufacturer Reclaims $1.2M in Waste

Customer Profile: Global manufacturer operating in North America, EMEA, and APAC
Challenge: 140+ SaaS apps, unknown license utilization, zero cross-departmental accountability
Solution: CloudNuro deployed across 9 business units

CloudNuro empowered IT, Finance, and Procurement teams to speak a common financial language, unifying technology operations with business accountability.

Product Comparison: CloudNuro vs Traditional SMPs

What’s Next for CloudNuro: Vote & Celebrate Innovation

CloudNuro is now in the running for the People’s Choice Award, with winners to be honored at the Chicago Innovation Awards ceremony on November 13th at UIC Forum. These finalists represent over $4.2B in economic impact and 2,300+ jobs created.

👉 Cast your vote at Chicago Innovation Awards

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What is CloudNuro?
CloudNuro is an Enterprise SaaS Management Platform offering unified SaaS, cloud, and AI cost governance with built-in license optimization, automated chargeback, and policy enforcement.

Q2. How fast can CloudNuro show results?
CloudNuro delivers measurable insights within 24 hours after a simple 15-minute setup - with zero-code integrations into M365, Salesforce, AWS, GCP, and more.

Q3. Does it replace ITSM or SAM tools?
No, CloudNuro complements ITSM and SAM platforms by adding financial intelligence and automation - particularly around license optimization and cost allocation/chargeback.

Q4. Can CloudNuro handle government/Federal reporting needs?
Yes. CloudNuro supports multi-entity, multi-tier cost reporting, making it ideal for public sector, state, and federal agencies.

Q5. How is CloudNuro different from platforms like Zylo or Zluri?
CloudNuro provides Enterprise SaaS + Cloud + AI visibility, FinOps-native chargeback, and AI-led optimization - which most SMPs lack.

Q6. What’s the licensing model?
CloudNuro offers modular pricing based on user count, SaaS/app volume, and add-ons like advanced chargeback, cloud optimization, or NHI governance. You can try CloudNuro at no cost and see results in 15 mins – Sign Up here.

Q7. Is Microsoft 365 optimization included?
Yes. CloudNuro identifies inactive users, dormant licenses, and excessive add-ons in Microsoft 365, Exchange, Teams, Power BI, and more.

Q8. What kind of AI apps does CloudNuro track?
CloudNuro detects and governs usage of AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, Jasper, GitHub Copilot, AI Notebooks, etc., including cost attribution and visibility.

Q9. Can I run license attestation or access reviews?
Yes. Built-in User Access Review (UAR) workflows allow periodic reviews, compliance audits, and SoD enforcement across SaaS and Cloud.

Q10. Does it integrate with ERP or finance tools?
Yes. CloudNuro exports cost allocation reports in formats compatible with SAP, Oracle Financials, NetSuite, Workday, and others.

Q11. What does CloudNuro do about NHIs (Non-Human Identities)?
CloudNuro detects and manages NHIs - including bots, scripts, and service accounts - helping you avoid paying for unused or overprivileged accounts.

Q12. How customizable is the chargeback engine?
Highly. You can define allocation rules, markups, chargeback frequency, grouping logic, and even run simulations before enforcing.

Q13. How is data ingested - APIs, CSVs, or connectors?
CloudNuro supports SSO-based integrations, native connectors (M365, Salesforce, AWS, etc.), and CSV/ERP import for flexible data ingestion.

Q14. Can it help during software renewals?
Absolutely. CloudNuro provides usage-based renewal insights, alerts on shelfware, and cost projections to guide smarter renewals.

Q15. How secure is the platform?
CloudNuro is hosted on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) with SOC2, GDPR, and ISO 27001-aligned controls, ensuring enterprise-grade security. Visit our Trust Center to know more.

Conclusion: Driving Business Value Through Visibility & Accountability

CloudNuro is more than a finalist - it’s the future of enterprise IT financial governance. In a world where budget owners demand transparency, and CIOs are under pressure to optimize every app and cloud, CloudNuro delivers a unified view that’s financially intelligent and operationally immediate.

CloudNuro is a leader in Enterprise SaaS Management Platforms, giving enterprises unmatched visibility, governance and cost optimization. Recognized twice in a row by Gartner in the SaaS Management Platforms Magic Quadrant, and named a Leader in the Info-Tech SoftwareReviews Data Quadrant, CloudNuro is trusted by global enterprises and government agencies to bring financial discipline to SaaS and cloud.

Trusted by enterprises such as Konica Minolta and Federal Signal, it provides centralized SaaS inventory, license optimization, and renewal management along with advanced cost allocation and chargeback - giving IT and Finance leaders the visibility, control, and cost-conscious culture needed to drive financial discipline.

As the only Enterprise SaaS Management Platform, CloudNuro brings SaaS and IaaS management together in one unified view. With a 15-minute setup and measurable results in under 24 hours, CloudNuro gives IT teams a fast path to value.

💡 Don’t Just Track Spend - Govern It.

👉 Schedule a demo to see how CloudNuro can transform your SaaS, AI, and Cloud operations into a strategic FinOps advantage.
📢 Vote now for CloudNuro in the People’s Choice Awards: Chicago Innovation Awards