Integrate Amazon CloudWatch with Xero

Today, we are going to discuss something that will interest many of you. We will talk about Amazon CloudWatch and Xero integration.

What is Amazon CloudWatch?

Amazon CloudWatch is a monitoring service for your Amazon Web Services (AWS. computing resources and the applications you run on AWS. CloudWatch enables you to collect and track metrics and logs for your AWS account. You can use CloudWatch to monitor AWS resources such as EC2 instances, applications running on AWS, volume storage objects, and other resources. You can also use CloudWatch to monitor custom metrics generated by your applications or other devices and send notifications based on those metrics.CloudWatch sends notifications and metric data to a variety of Amazon services, including SQS, Simple Notification Service (SNS), and email. You can also create your own applications using the Amazon CloudWatch API or SDKs. (Source. http://aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/)The main features of CloudWatch are:Tracks metrics for your AWS resources.Sends notifications based on the metrics.Auto scales your AWS resources.Supports third-party integrations using the CloudWatch API and SDKs.Bridges between AWS cloud services and your on-premises environment.Provides a log service that you can use to collect logs from servers and applications in your network.Amazon CloudWatch dashboards provide a graphical representation of your metrics, which gives you a clear overview of the health and performance of your AWS resources and applications. You can view both real-time metrics and historical data in dashboards.Dashboards also offer real-time graphs, charts, and tables with customized views, which enable you to quickly identify anomalies and drill down into specific details. You can easily create new dashboards or modify existing dashboards to display only the metrics that are relevant to your business needs. You can also share dashboards with other users so that they can view the same information that you do.

What is Xero?

Xero is an online accounting software that helps small businesses manage their finances through easy-to-use online accounts at www.xero.com. With one click, users can import bank statements and credit card transactions from their financial institutions directly into Xero's secure online system with no setup costs or monthly fees. In addition, Xero provides a comprehensive range of invoicing tools so users can send invoices online or choose from more than 100 free invoice templates to create professional looking invoices in just minutes.With Xero, users can pay bills online, track expenses, and manage cash flow while providing their customers with anytime access to their business financial records. Since launching in Australia in 2007, Xero now has more than 120,000 users across 68 countries around the world including New Zealand, the UK, Canada, and the US. (Source. http://www.xero.com/)Xero offers a range of services that help businesses manage their finances:Bank feed – Users can import bank statements and credit card transactions directly into Xero's secure online system with no setup costs or monthly fees .Online accounts – Users can access their accounts from anywhere in the world using any Internet connection . They can send invoices online, pay bills online, track expenses, and manage cash flow .Cash flow forecasting – Users can access their cash flow forecasts at any time to make better business decisions .Expense tracking - Users can track their expenses by adding them manually or automatically through bank feeds . They can also apply recurring expenses so that all future payments are tracked automatically .Accounts payable – Users can record payments as they are made and track outstanding invoices over time .Accounts receivable – Users can track outstanding amounts due to their business at a glance . They also have the ability to write off bad debt if necessary . (Source. http://www.xero.com/about/features/)

Integration of Amazon CloudWatch and Xero offers these benefits:

• Financial Reporting
• Business Intelligence

3. In-Depth AnalysisFinancial Reporting  - CloudWatch provides financial reporting through its dashboards, charts, graphs, etc., while Xero provides financial reporting through its financial statements (i.e., balance sheet, income statement. This means that the two reporting processes complement each other very well; businesses using both products will be able to get financial information for their businesses from two different angles, which should help them make better business decisions . Business Intelligence  - CloudWatch provides business intelligence through its dashboards, charts, graphs, etc., while Xero provides business intelligence through its reports (i.e., profit & loss statement. Businesses using both products will be able to get business intelligence about their businesses from two different angles, which should help them make better business decisions . In-Depth Analysis  - CloudWatch enables in-depth analysis of how hardware and software affects the performance of one's AWS resources (i.e., EC2 instances. This means that businesses using CloudWatch will be able to see exactly what affects the performance of their IT infrastructure , so they can accurately plan for future large projects that require significant IT infrastructure resources . Xero enables in-depth analysis of how currency fluctuations affect one's business operations (i.e., number of sales vs. revenue. This means that businesses using Xero will be able to see exactly what affects their ability to do business , so they can more effectively plan for future growth . Integration of CloudWatch and Xero allows businesses to make smart decisions quickly and effectively , which should result in higher profits .Xero offers small businesses powerful accounting software for managing their finances, but it does not offer any kind of monitoring system for the performance of one's AWS infrastructure . One would think that CloudWatch would work well with Xero since it has a very similar purpose (i.e., monitoring the performance of one's AWS infrastructure), but there are no official products or tools out there currently that allow businesses to integrate CloudWatch with Xero . Currently there are several solutions available that integrate the two products, but they are all unofficial products or tools created by third party developers. Some examples include. 1.     Server Density + Xero by Ian Lee 2.     Spout by Alistair Douglas 3.     CloudyXero by Mark Pinto 4.     OpenMetrics + Xero by Alex Tunnah 5.     Custom Monitor Plugin by James McInerney Currently there is no solution available officially from either Amazon or Xero that integrates the two products in any way yet, which is why this topic is important . The lack of an official solution is probably because both companies have been busy focusing on other things (i.e., new releases of their products. There may not be an official product or tool out there yet, but what I believe is that there eventually will be an official product or tool that integrates the two products if enough people ask for it . So please let me know what you think about this topic . If you want an official integration between Xero and Amazon CloudWatch then please post below and tell me why you think this would be useful for you!

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