Microsoft has acquired MetricsHub, a startup focused on technology for automating cloud performance management.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Microsoft also announced Monday the immediate availability to Windows Azure customers of a pre-release, no charge, version of MetricsHub's Active Cloud Monitoring service through the Windows Azure Store.

"We will also be converting all paying customers to this no-charge version of the service and MetricsHub technology will continue to keep your cloud applications running," the startup said in a blog post.

Active Cloud Monitoring, a technology that automates cloud performance management, helps customers more efficiently manage their cloud services at a lower cost, said Bob Kelly, Microsoft's corporate vice president for strategy and business development. (

MetricsHub technology ensures customers are only paying for what they need and maximizing the services they're using, Kelly wrote in a blog post.

MetricsHub in Bellevue, Washington, was earlier part of Microsoft Accelerator, a mentoring program at the company's headquarters in Seattle, Washington held in collaboration with seed funds provider TechStars. The program is currently focused on Windows Azure and Kinect, Microsoft's motion-recognition technology for controlling games and other devices.

Windows Azure competitor Amazon Web Services on Monday offered all customers a free trial for the month of March of its AWS Trusted Advisor tools for comparing customers' cloud configurations against best practices. The tools are normally available to AWS customers who have signed up for business or enterprise levels of AWS support.